NARRATIVE 



OF 



COL. ETHAN ALLEN'S 



CAPTIVITY. 



WRITTEN BY HIMSELF. 



FOURTH EDITION, WITH NOTES. 



BURLINGTON : 

CHAUNCEY GOODRICH 

1846. 






Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1838^ 

By Chauncey Goodrich, 

in the Clerk's Office of the District of Vermont, 






/b> 



ADVERTISEMENT 

TO THE THIRD EDITION, 

PUBLISHED IN 1838. 



No apology need be offered for presenting a new Edi- 
tion of the following Narrative, of one of the most re- 
markable men of the age in which he lived, as it is now 
thirty-one years since it has been published, and more 
than twenty years since it has been seen in any bookstore. 
It is given in the plain language of its self-educated au- 
thor, without any alteration, and is said by his most inti- 
mate friends, to show more of his character, than all else 
that has ever been written of him. 

Little is known of the life of Col. Allen, but what is 
found in Biographical Dictionaries, Spark's American 
Biography, and his Memoirs written by Mr. Moore, from 
whose introduction the following just tribute to his mem- 
ory is copied. 

"Perhaps no individual, of equal advantages, and the 
station he occupied in life, contributed more towards es- 
tablishing the independence of our country, than Ethan 
Allen, the subject of this memoir. The mass of the 
people among whom he resided, were rude and uncul- 
tivated ; yet bold in spirit and zealous in action. It con- 
sequently followed, that no one, save a man of strong 



4 



natural endowments — of much decision, energy and 
bravery, could control their prejudices and inclinations. 
Habit had rendered them familiar with danger, and im- 
patient of restraint : hence, it followed, that no policy, 
unless proceeding from a source in which they had con- 
fidence, ever gained their approbation. Upon Allen, 
whose courage was undoubted, and whose zealous devo- 
tion to their interests was universally acknowledged, 
they implicitly relied. They had known him in adver- 
sity and prosperity — they had weighed him, and found 
nothing lacking. To friend or foe, he was ever the same 
unyielding advocate of the rights of man, and universal 
liberty. The policy, therefore, he upheld, as beneficial 
to the common cause of American liberty, ever found 
strong and efficient supporters in the friends with whom 
he associated, and by whom he was known. 

From the commencement of our Revolutionary strug- 
gle, until its final close, Ethan Allen proved a zealous 
and strenuous supporter of the cause. Whether in the 
field or the council — whether at home, a freeman among 
the mountains of Vermont, or loaded with the manacles 
of despotism, in a foreign country, his spirit never quailed 
beneath the sneer of the tory, or the harsh threats of in- 
solent authority. A stranger to fear, his opinions were 
ever given without disguise or hesitation : and, an ene- 
my to oppression, he sought every opportunity to redress 
the wrongs of the oppressed. It is not to be supposed, 
however, that he was faultless. Like other men, he had 
his errors — like other men, his foibles. Yet he was not 
wilfully stubborn in either. When convinced of an er- 
roneous position, he was ever willing to yield a victory ; 



but, in theory, as in practice, he contested every inch of 
ground ; and only yielded when he had no weapons left 
to meet his antagonist* This trait in his character serves, 
at least) to prove, that he was honest in his conclusions, 
however erroneous the premises from which they were 
deduced. 

Much error of opinion prevails among all classes of 
individuals, at the present period, in relation to the 
character of Col. Allen. He is generally viewed as a 
coarse, ignorant man, void of all the social feelings, and 
arrogant in all his pretensions. Even Mr, Dwight, in 
his " Travels in New-England," reports him in this 
light ; and deems him only worthy a brief and unjust 
notice in his work. In what manner Mr. Dwight came 
in possession of the facts upon which he predicated his 
conclusions, is beyond the knowledge of the author of 
this Memoir: but, certain it is, he has materially misre- 
presented the moral principles, and in fact, the general 
character of Col. Allen. It is presumed, however, that 
Mr. Dwight, like many other travellers, drew his infer- 
cnces from the gossip of the people among whom ho as- 
sociated, without being at the trouble of extending his 
inquiries to a source from whence he might have derived 
every material fact in relation to the subject. In making 
this suggestion, the author would not be understood as 
attaching any particular blame to Mr. Dwight: but 
merely as correcting an error of opinion which is quite 
foo prevalent in our country," 
1* 



ADVERTISEMENT 
TO THE WALPOLE EDITION, 



PUBLISHED IN 1807. 



In announcing the publication of this little, simple, true, 
and unvarnished najTative, the publishers have compli- 
ed with the wishes of a number of persons, who had a 
desire to keep in remembrance the hero of Ticonderoga, 
and the exploits he performed. It is believed that there 
is not a copy for sale in any bookstore in the United 
States ; and the style of printing, at the time of its first 
appearance, which is now near thirty years since, was in 
so unimproved a condition, that it has never been seen 
but in the shabby dress of a large and ragged pamphlet. 
The events of those " troublous times," in which Col. 
Allen took a conspicuous part, are rendered doubly in- 
teresting from the lively, unadorned manner of his own 
narration. The high compliments which he pays to the 
prowess, uniform perseverance and resolution, manifested 
by the " Green Mountain Boys" of his native State? 
will no doubt be an inducement to them, and to his 
countrymen generally, to read and preserve this monu- 
ment of him, and, as they con the pages of this " little 
book" vi^hich he has " left them," to imitate the cool- 
ness and courage of the deceased veteran. 

The sufferings and cruelties borne by him and his 



8 



fellow soldiers, frequently draw from him in the course 
of his narrative, a language the most severe, with res* 
pect to a country from whom we originated, with whom 
we are now at peace, and with whom it is our policy to 
continue on a friendly footing; but the candid and the 
feeling mind should make great allowance for the un- 
paralleled situation of our affairs, for the sufferings of 
his handful of little " Spartans,^^ for whom he felt a 
father's and a brother's affection. These circumstances 
must have given a deep coloring to the pencil which 
was portraying his own and his country's wrongs. On 
the whole, we think this little tract may be re-perused, 
with advantage and pleasure, by the aged, and read with 
much edification and entertainment by the young. As 
it is deemed that the very words, in every respect, made 
use of by the Colonel, would be more acceptable to the 
reader, than any artificial decoration of style, we shall 
almost invariably adhere to the original. 



INTRODUCTION, 



Induced by a sense of duty to my country, and by the 
application of many of my worthy friends, some of 
whom are of the first characters, I have concluded to 
pubHsh the following narrative of the extraordinary 
scenes of my captivity, and the discoveries which I made 
in the course of the same, of the cruel and relentless 
disposition and behaviour of the enemy, towards the 
prisoners in their power ; from which the state politician, 
and every gradation of character among the people, to 
the worthy tiller of the soil, may deduce such inferences 
as they shall think proper to carry into practice. Some 
men are appointed into office, in these States, who read 
the history of the cruelties of this war, with the same 
careless indifference, as they do the pages of the Ro- 
man history ; nay, some are preferred to places of trust 
and profit by the tory influence. The instances are (I 
hope) but rare, and it stands all freemen in hand to pre- 
vent their further influence, which, of all other things, 
would be the most baneful to the liberties and happiness 
of this country ; and, so far as such influence takes place, 
robs us of the victory we have obtained at the expense 
of so much blood and treasure. 



10 



T should have exhibited to the public a history of the 
facts herein contained, soon after my exchange, had not 
the urgency of my private affairs, together with more 
urgent public business, demanded my attention, till a 
few weeks before the date hereof. The reader will 
readily discern, that a Narrative of this sort could not 
have been written when I was a prisoner. My trunk 
and writings were often searched under various preten- 
ces ; so that I never wrote a syllable, or made even a 
rough minute whereon I might predicate this narration, 
but trusted solely to my memory for the whole. I have, 
however, taken the greatest care and pains lo recollect the ; 
facts and arrange them : but as they touch a variety of 
characters and opposite interests, I am sensible that all 
will not be pleased with the relation of them. Be this 
as it will, I have made truth my invariable guide, and ' 
stake my honor on the truth of the facts. 1 have i| 
been very generous with the British in giving them full I 
and ample credit for all their good usage, of any consid- • 
erable consequence, which I met with among them, , 
during my captivity ; which was easily done, as I met ; 
with but little, in comparison of the bad, which, by rea- 
son of the great plurality of it, could not be contained 1 
in so concise a narrative ; so that I am certain that I ! 
have more fully enumerated the favors which I received, 
than the abuses I suffered. The critic will be pleased ' 
to excuse any inaccuracies in the preformance itself, , 
as the author has unfortunately missed of a liberal 

education. 

ETHAN ALLEN. 

Bennington, March 25, 1779. 



lAREATIYE 



Ever since I arrived at the state of manhood, 
and acquainted myself with the general history of 
mankind, I have felt a sincere passion for liberty. 
The history of nations, doomed to perpetual sla- 
very, in consequence of yielding up to tyrants 
their natural-born liberties, I read with a sort of 
philosophical horror; so that the first systematical 
and bloody attempt, at Lexington, to enslave 
America, thoroughly electrified my mind, and fully 
determined me to take part with my country. 
And, while I was wishing for an opportunity to 
signalize myself in its behalf, directions were pri- 
vately sent to me from the then colony, (now state) 
of Connecticut, to raise the Green Mountain Boys, 
and, if possible, with them to surprise and take 
the fortress of Ticonderogo. This enterprise I 
cheerfully undertook ; and, after first guarding all 
the several passes that led thither, to cut off all 
intelligence between the garrison and the country, 



12 ETHAN Allen's 

made a forced march from Bennington, and arri- 
ved at the lake opposite to Ticonderoga,* on the 
evening of the ninth day of May, 1775, with two 
hundred and thirty valiant Green Mountain Boys ; 
and it was with the utmost difficulty that I pro- 
cured boats to cross the lake. However, I landed 

* The ' Ticonderoga Fort ' is thus described in the American 
Encyclopedia : — 

Ticonderoga ; a post-town of Essex count}'-, New- York, on the^ 
west side of the south end of lake Champlain, and at the north' 
end of lake George ; twelve miles south of Crovv'n Point, ninety- 
five north of Albany ; population in 1820, 1493. There is a valu-.j 
able iron mine in this township. — Ticonderoga Fort, famous in thei 
history of the American wars, is situated on an eminence, on thei 
the west side of lake Champlain, just north of the entrance of the( 
outlet from lake George into lake Champlain, fifteen miles south ot 
Crown Point, twenty-four north of Whitehall ; Ion. 73°. 27'. W. ; 
lat. 43''. 30'. N. It is now in ruins. Considerable remains of the 
fortifications are still to be seen. The stone walls of the fort, which 
are now standing, are in some places, thirty feet high. Mount 
Defiance lies about a mile south of the fort, and Mount Indepen- 
dence is about half a mile distant, on the opposite side of the lake 
in Orwell, Vermont. 

It was built by the French, in the year 1756, and had all the 
advantages that art and nature could give it ; being defended oi 
three sides by water, surrounded by rocks, and where that fails 
the French erected a breast work nine feet high. The English am 
Colonial troops, under General Abercrombie were defeated here ii 
the year 1758, but it was taken the year following by Genera 
Amherst. It was surprised by Colonels Allen and Arnold, Ma 
10, 1775. Was retaken by General Burgoyne in July, 1777, ani 
was evacuated after his surrender, the garrison returning to S 
Johns. 



NARRATIVE. 18 

eighty-three men near the garrison, and sent the 
boats back for the rear guard, commanded by Col. 
Seth Warner, but the day began to dawn, and 1 
found myself under a necessity to attack the 
fort, before the rear could cross the lake ; and, as it 
was viewed hazardous, I harangued the officers 
and soldiers in the manner following : — 

" Friends and fellow soldiers, You have, for a 
number of years past been a scourge and terror 
to arbitrary power. Your valor has been famed 
abroad, and acknowledged, as appears by the 
advice and orders to me, from the General As- 
sembly of Connecticut, to surprise and take the 
garrison now before us. I now propose to advance 
before you, and, in person, conduct you through 
the wicket-gate ; for we must this morning either 
quit our pretensions to valor, or possess ourselves 
of this fortress in a few miniftes ; and, inasmuch 
as it is a desperate attempt, which none but the 
bravest of men dare undertake, 1 do not urge it 
on any contrary to his will. You that will under- 
take voluntarily, poise your firelocks." 

The men being, at this time, drawn up in three 
ranks, each poised his firelock. I ordered thern 
to face to the right, and at the head of the centre- 
file, marched them immediately to the wicket-gate 
aforesaid, where I found a sentry posted, who 
instantly snapped his fusee at me : I ran immediately 
2 



14 

towards him, and he retreated through the cov- 
ered way into the parade within the garrison, gave 
a halloo, and ran under a bomb-proof. My party, 
who followed me into the fort, I formed on the 
parade in such a manner as to face the two bar- 
racks which faced each other. 

The garrison being asleep, except the sentries, 
we gave three huzzas which gready surprised them. 
One of the sentries made a pass at one of my offi- 
cers with a charged bayonet, and slightly wounded 
him : My first thought was to kill him with my 
sword ; but, in an instant, I altered the design and 
fury of the blow to a slight cut on the side of the 
head ; upon which he dropped his gun, and asked 
quarter, which I readily granted him, and demand- 
ed of him the place where the commanding officer 
kept; he shewed me a pair of stairs in the front 
of a barrack, on the west part of the garrison, which 
led up to a second story in said barrack, to which 
I immediately repaired, and ordered the com- 
mander, Capt. De la Place, to come forth instant- 
ly, or I vv ould sacrifice the whole garrison ; at 
which the Capt. came immediately to the door, 
with his breeches in his hand; when I ordered him 
to deliver me the fort instantly; he asked me by 
what authority I demanded it : I answered him, 
" In the name of the great Jehovah, and the Con- 



NARRATIVE. 15 

tinental Congress,^^* The authority of the Con- 
gress being very httle known at that time, he be- 
gan to speak again; but I interrupted him, and 
with my drawn sword over his head, again de- 
manded an immediate surrender of the garrison ; 
with which he then compHed, and ordered his men 
to be forthwith paraded without arms, as he had 
given up the garrison. In the mean time some of 
my officers had given orders, and in consequence 
thereof, sundry of the barrack doors were beat 
down, and about one third of the garrison impris- 
oned, which consisted of the said commander, a 
Lieut. Feltham, a conductor of artillery, a gunner, 
two sergeants, and forty-four rank and file ; about 
one hundred pieces of cannon, one thirteen inch 
mortar, and a number of swivels. This surprise 
was carried into execution in the grey of the morn- 
ing of the tenth day of May, 1775. The sun seem- 
ed to rise that morning with a superior lustre ; and 
Ticonderoga and its dependencies smiled on its 
conquerors, who tossed about the flowing bowl, 
and wished success to Congress, and the liberty 
and freedom of America. Happy it was for me, 
at that time, that the then future pages of the book 
of fate, which afterwards unfolded a miserable 

* If the Colonel has expressed a little of his usual severity in 
this place, he might have remarked also, that neither of the author- 
ities he mentioned were much known in a British camp. 



16 



scene of two years and eight months imprisonmenf^ 
were hid from my view. 

But to return to my narration: Col. Warner, 
with the rear guard, crossed the lake, and joined 
me early in the morning, whom I sent off, without 
loss of time, with about one hundred men, to take 
possession of Crown Point, which was garrisoned 
with a Serjeant and twelve men ; which he took 
possession of the same day, as also of upwards of 
one hundred pieces of cannon. But one thing 
now remained to be done, to make ourselves com- 
plete masters of lake Champlain ; this was to pos- 
sess ourselves of a sloop of war, which was then 
lying at St. John's ; to effect which, it was agreed 
in a council of war, to arm and man out a certain 
schooner, which lay at South Bay, and that Capt. 
(now general) Arnold* should command her, and 
that I should command the batteaux. The neces- 
sary preparations being made, we set sail from 

* This name, which now calls to mind the idea of -treason, at 
every mention of it, is " damned to everlasting fame." His early 
history, with his conduct during the revolution, is probably fami- 
liar to every school boy. His subsequent life is thus described by 
Dr. Allen, in his xA.merican Biographical Dictionary. 

" From the conclusion of the v/ar till his death. General Arnold 
resided chiefly in England. In 1786 he was at St. Johns, New 
Brunswick, engaged in trade and navigation, and again in 1790. 
For some cause he became very unpopular ; in 1792 or 1793, was 
hung in effigy, and the mayor found it necessary to read the riot 



NARRATIVE. 17 

Ticonderoga, in quest of the sloop, which was 
much larger, and carried more guns and heavier 
metal than the schooner. General Arnold, with 
the schooner, saiUng faster than the batteaux, ar- 
rived at St. Johns ; and by surprise, possessed 
himself of the sloop, before I could arrive with the 

act, and a company of troops was called out to quell the mob. Re- 
pairing to the West Indies in 1794, a French fleet anchored at the 
same island ; he became alarmed least he should be detained by 
the American allies and passed the fleet concealed on a raft of 
lumber. He died in Gloucester place, London, June 14, 1801. — 
He married Margaret, the daughter of Edward Shippen of Phila- 
delphia, chief justice, and a loyalist. General Green, it is said, 
was his rival. She combined facinating manners with strength of 
mind. She died at London, August 24, 1804, aged 43. His sons 
were men of property in Canada in 1829. — His character presents 
little to be commended. His daring courage may indeed excite 
admiration ; but it was a courage without reflection and without 
principle. He fought bravely for his country and he bled in her 
cause ; but his country owed him no returns of gratitude, for his 
subsequent conduct proved, that he had no honest regard to her 
interests, but was governed by selfish considerations. His progress 
from self-indulgence to treason was easy and rapid. He was vain 
and luxurious, and to gratify his giddy desires he must resort to 
meanness, dishonesty, and extortion. These vices brought with 
them disgrace ; and the contempt, into which he fell, awakened a 
spirit of revenge, and left him to the unrestrained influence of his 
cupidity and passion. Thus from the high fame, to which his bra- 
very had elevated him, he descended into infamy. Thus too 
he furnished new evidence of the infatuation of the human mind in 
attaching such value to the reputation of a soldier, which may be 
■obtained, while the heart is unsound and every moral sentiment i« 
entirely depraved." 

.2* 



18 

batteaux ; He also made prisoners af a Serjeant 
and twelve men, who were garrisoned at that place. 
It is worthy of remark that as soon as General 
Arnold had secured the prisoners on board, and 
had made preparation for sailing, the wind, which 
but a few hours before was fresh in the south, and 
well served to carry us to St. Johns, now shifted, 
and came fresh from the north ; and in about one 
hour's time, General Arnold sailed with the prize 
and schooner for Ticonderoga. When I met him 
with my party, within a few miles of St. Johns, he 
saluted me with a discharge of cannon, which I re- 
turned with a volley of small arms. This being 
repeated three times, I went on board the sloop 
with my party, where several loyal Congress 
healths were drank. 

We were now masters of lake Champlain, and 
the garrison depending thereon. This success I 
viewed of consequence in the scale af American 
politics ; for, if a settlement between the then col- 
onies and Great Britain, had soon taken place, it 
would have been easy to have restored these ac- 
quisitions ; but viewing the then future consequen- 
ces of a cruel war, as it has really proved to be, 
and the command of that lake, garrisons, artillery, 
cSlc, it must be viewed to be of signal importance 
to the American cause, and it is marvellous to me 
ihat we ever lost the command of it. Nothing but 



NARRATIVE. 19 

taking a Burgoyne with a whole British army, 
could, in my opinion, atone for it ; and notwith- 
standing such an extraordinary victory, we must 
be obliged to regain the command of that lake 
again, be the cost what it will ; by doing this Can- 
ada will easily be brought into union and con- 
federacy with the United States of America. Such 
an event would put it out of the power of the west- 
ern tribes of Indians to carry on a war with us, 
and be a solid and durable bar against any further 
inhuman barbarides committed on our frontier in- 
habitants, by cruel and blood-thirsty savages ; for 
it is impossible for them to carry on a w^ar, except 
they are supported by the trade and commerce of 
some civilized nation ; which to them would be 
impracticable, did Canada compose a part of the 
American empire. 

Early in the fall of the year, the little army un- 
der the command of the Generals Schuyler and 
Montgomery, were ordered to advance into Can- 
ada. I was at Ticonderoga, when this order 
arrived ; and the Generals, with most of the field 
officers, requested me to attend them in the expe- 
dition ; and, though at that time I had no commis- 
sion from Congress, yet they engaged me, that I 
should be considered as an officer, the same as 
though I had a commission ; and should, as occa- 
sion might require, command certain detachments 



20 ETHAN Allen's 

of the army. This I considered as an honorable 
offer, and did not hesitate to comply with it, and 
advanced with the army to the Isle-aux-Noix ; * 
from w^hence I was ordered by the General, to go 
in company with Major Brown, and certain inter- 
preters, through the woods into Canada, with 
letters to the Canadians, and to let them know 
that the design of the army was only against the 
English garrisons, and not the country, their hber- 
ties, or religion ; and having, through much danger, 
negotiated this business, I returned to the Isle-aux- 
Noix in the fore part of September, when Gen. 
Schuyler returned to Albany ; and in consequence 
the command devolved upon General Montgomery, 
whom 1 assisted in laying a line of circumvallation 
round the fortress of St. Johns.f After which I 
was ordered, by the General, to make a second 
tour into Canada, upon nearly the same design as 

* A small island, containing about 85 acres, ten miles north of 
the boundary lines of the States of New- York and Vermont. It is 
strongly fortified, and completely commands the water communi- 
cation from lake Champlain. Here the British had a small gar- 
rison. 

f St. Johns is a thriving village, in the County of Chambly, 
situated at the north end of lake Champlain, on the west bank of 
the Sorel river, twenty-eight miles southward of Montreal. It is 
the port of entry and clearance, between the United States and 
Canada. It is now connected with the St. Lawrence river by a 
fail-road. 



NARRATIVE. 21 

before ; and withal to observe the disposition, de- 
signs and movements of the inhabitants of the 
country. This reconnoiter I undertook reluctantly, 
choosing rather to assist at the seige of St. Johns, 
which was then closely invested ; but my esteem 
for the general's person, and opinion of him as a 
politician and brave officer, induced me to pro- 
ceed. 

I passed through all the parishes on the river 
Sorel,* to a parish at the mouth of the same, 
which is called by the same name, preaching pol- 
itics ; and went from thence across the Sorel to 
the river St. Lawrence, and up the river through 
the parishes to Longueuil, and so far met with 
good success as an itinerant. In this round my 
guard were Canadians, my interpreter, and 
some few attendants excepted. On the morn- 
ing of the 24th day of September, I set out 
with my guard of about eighty men, trom Lon- 
gueuil, to go to Laprairie ; t from whence I 
determined to go to General Montgomery's camp ; 
but had not advanced two miles before I met with 

* Sorel or Richelieu River, the outlet of Lake Champlain, which 
after a course of about 69 miles north, empties into the St. Law- 
rence, in north lat. 46°. 10'. and long. 72". 25'. west. Sorel Fort, built 
by the French, is at the western point of the mouth of this river. 

t Laprairie, a populous little village, on the river St. Lawrence, 
in Canada, eighteen miles north of St. Johns, and nine south-wesi 
of Montreal. 



22 ETHAN Allen's 

Major Brown, who has since been advanced to 
the rank of a Colonel, who desired me to halt, 
saying that he had something of importance to 
communicate to me and my confidants ; upon 
which I halted the party, and went into a house, 
and took a private room with him and several of 
my associates, where Col. Brown proposed that, 
*' provided I would return to Longueuil, and pro- 
cure some canoes, so as to cross the river St. 
Lawrence a httle north of Montreal, he would cross 
it a htde to the south of the town, with near two 
hundred men, as he had boats sufficient ; and 
that we could make ourselves masters of Montreal." 
This plan was readily approved by me and those 
in council ; and in consequence of which I re- 
turned to Longueuil, collected a few canoes, and I 
added about thirty English-Americans to my par- 
ty, and crossed the river in the night of the 24th,, 
agreeably to the before proposed plan. 

My whole party at this time, consisted of about ( 
one hundred and ten men, near eighty of whomi 
were Canadians. We were most of the nightt 
crossing the river, as we had so few canoes thatt 
they had to pass and repass three times, to carry 
my party across. Soon after day-break, 1 set ai 
guard between me and the town, with special 
orders to let no person whatever pass or repass^ 
them, another guard on the other end of the road,. 



NARRATIVE. 23 

a 

with like directions ; in the mean time, I recon- 
noitered the best ground to make a defence, 
expecting Col. Brown's party was landed on the 
other side of the town, he having, the day before, 
agreed to give three huzzas with his men early in 
the morning, which signal I was to return, that 
we might each know that both parties were land- 
ed; but the sun, by this time, being nearly two 
hours high, and the sign failing, 1 began to con- 
clude myself to be in a premunire, and would 
have crossed the river back again, but I knew the 
enemy would have discovered such an attempt ; 
and as there could not more than one third part of 
my troops cross at one time, the other two-thirds 
would of course fall into their hands. This I could 
not reconcile to my own feehngs as a man, much 
less as an officer: I therefore concluded to main- 
tain the ground, if possible, and all to fare alike. 
In consequence of this resolution, I despatched 
two messengers, one to Laprairie, to Col. Brown^ 
and the other to I'Assomption, a French settle- 
ment, to Mr. Walker, who was in our interest, 
requesting their speedy assistance, giving them, 
at the same time to understand my critical situa- 
tion. In the mean time, sundry persons came to 
my guards, pretending to be friends, but were by 
them taken prisoners and brought to me. These 
I ordered to confinement, until their friendship 



24 

could be further confirmed ; for I was jealous 
they were spies, as they proved to be afterwards. 
One of the principal of them making his escape, ex- 
posed the weakness of my party, which was the 
final cause of my misfortune ; for I have been 
since informed that Mr. Walker, agreeably to my 
desire, exerted himself, and had raised a con- 
siderable number of men for my assistance, which 
brought him into difficulty afterwards, but upon 
hearing of my misfortune, he disbanded them 
again. 

The town of Montreal was in a great tumult. 
General Carleton and the royal party, made every 
preparation to go on board their vessels of force, 
as I was afterwards informed, but the spy esca- 
ped from my guard to the town, occasioned an 
alteration in their policy, and emboldened Gen. 
Carleton to send the force which he had there 
collected, out against me. 1 had previously cho- 
sen my ground, but when I saw the number of 
the enemy as they sallied out of the tovvm, I per- 
ceived it would be a day of trouble, if not of 
rebuke ; but I had no chance to flee, as Montreal; 
was situated on an island, and the St, Lawrance 
cut off my communication to General Montgomery's 
camp. I encouraged my soldiery to bravely de- 
fend themselves, that we should soon have help, 
and that we should be able to keep the ground,, 



NARRATIVE. 26 

if no more. This, and much more, I affirmed 
with the greatest seeming assurance, and which 
in reahty I thought to be in some degree prob- 
able. 

The enemy consisted of not more than forty 
regular troops, together with a mixed multitude, 
chiefly Canadians, with a number of English who 
lived in town, and some Indians ; in all to the num- 
ber of near five hundred. 

The reader will notice that most of my party 
w^ere Canadians ; indeed it was a modey parcel of 
soldiery which composed both parties. However, 
the enemy began to attack from wood-piles, ditch- 
es, buildings, and such hke places, at a consider- 
able distance, and I returned the fire from a situ- 
ation more than equally advantageous. The at- 
tack began between two and three o'clock in the 
afternoon, just before which I ordered a volunteer 
by the name of Richard Young, with a detach- 
ment of nine men as a flank guard, which, under 
the cover of the bank of the river, could not only 
annoy the enemy, but at the same time, serve as a 
flank guard to the left of the main body. 

The fire continued for sometiaie on both side5 ; 
and I was confident that such a remote method of 
attack could not carry the ground, provided it 
should be continued till night : but near half the 
body of the enemy began to flank round to my 
3 



26 ETHAN ALLEN 



b 



right ; upon which I ordered a volunteer, by the 
name of John Dugan, who had Uved many years in 
Canada, and understood the French language, to 
detach about fifty of the Canadians, and post him- 
self at an advantageous ditch, which was on my 
right, to prevent my being surrounded : He ad- 
vanced with the detachment, but instead of occu- 
pying the post, made his escape, as did likewise 
Mr. Young upon the left, with their detachments. 
I soon perceived that the enemy was in possession 
of the ground, which Dugan should have occupied. 
At this time I had but about forty five men with 
me ; some of whom were v/ounded ; the enemy 
kept closing round me, nor was it in my power to 
prevent it ; by which means, my situation, which 
was advantageous in the first part of the attack, 
ceased to be so in the last ; and being almost en- 
tirely surrounded with such vast, unequal numbers, 
I ordered a retreat, but found that those of the 
enemy, who were of the country, and their In- 
dians, could run as fast as my men, though the 
regulars could not. Thus I retreated near a mile, 
and some of the enemy, with the savages, kept 
flanking me, and others crowded hard in the rear. 
In fine, I expected, in a very short time, to try the 
world of spirits ; for I was apprehensive that no 
quorter w^ould be given to me, and therefore had 
determined to sell my fife as dear as I could. One 



NARRATIVE 27 

of the enemy's officers, boldly pressing in the rear, 
discharged his fusee at me ; the ball whistled near 
me, as did many others that day. I returned the 
salute, and missed him, as running had put us both 
out of breath ; for I conclude we were not fright- 
ened : I then saluted him with my tongue in a 
harsh manner, and told him that, inasmuch as his 
numbers were so far superior to mine, I would 
surrender provided I could be treated with honor, 
and be assured of good quarter for my self and the 
men who were with me ; and he answered I should; 
another officer, coming up direcdy after, confirmed 
the treaty ; upon which I agreed to surrender with 
my party, which then consisted of thirty-one effec- 
tive men, and seven w^ounded. I ordered them 
to ground their arms, which they did. 

The officer I capitulated with, then directed me 
and my party to advance towards iiim, which was 
done ; 1 handed him my sword, and in half a min- 
ute after, a savage, part of whose head was shaved, 
being almost naked and painted, with feathers in- 
termixed with the hair of the other side of his 
head, came running to me with an incredible 
swiftness ; he seemed to advance with more thaa 
mortal speed ; as he approached near me, his hell- 
ish visage was beyond all description ; snake's 
eyes appear innocent in comparison of his ; his 



28 ETHAN Allen's 

features extorted ;* malice, death, murder, and the 
wrath of devils and damned spirits are the em- 
blems of his countenance ; and in less than twelve 
feet of me, presented his firelock ; at the instant 
of his present, I twitched the officer, to whom I 
gave my sword, between me and the savage ; but 
he flew round with great fury, trying to single me 
out to shoot me without killing the officer ; but by 
this time I was nearly as nimble as he, keeping the 
officer in such a position that his danger was my 
defence ; but, in less than half a minute, I was 
attacked by just such another imp of hell : Then 
I made the officer fly around with incredible velo- 
city, for a few seconds of time, when I perceived 
a Canadian, who had lost one eye, as appeared 
afterwards, taking my part against the savages; 
and in an instant an Irishman came to my assist- 
ance with a fixed bayonet, and drove away the 
fiends, swearing by Jasus he would kill them. 
This tragic scene composed my mind. The es- 
caping from so awful a death, made even imprison- 
ment happy ; the more so as my conquerors on 
the field treated me with great civility and polite- 
ness. 

The regular officers said that they were very 

* Probably meant to be distorted ; though, from the description 
it would appear that his visage had been extorted from some " Gor- 
gon or chimccra dire. 



NARK ATI VE. 29 

liappy to see Colonel Allen: I answered them, 
that I should rather choose to have seen them 
at General JMontgomery's camp. The gentlemen 
replied, that they gave full credit to what I said, 
and as I walked to the town, which was, as I 
should guess, more than two miles, a British of- 
ficer walking at my right hand, and one of the 
French noblesse at my left ; the latter of which, 
in the action, had his eyebrow carried away by 
a glancing shot, but was nevertheless very mer- 
ry and facetious, and no abuse was offered me 
till I came to the barrack yard at Montreal, where 
I met general Prescott, who asked me my name, 
which I told him : He then asked me, whether I 
was that Col. Allen, who took Ticonderoga, I 
told him I was the very man: Then he shook his 
cane over my head, calling many hard names, 
among which he frequendy used the word rebel, 
and put himself in a great rage. I told him he 
would do w^ell not to cane me, for I was not ac- 
customed to it, and shook my fist at him, telling 
him that was the beede of mortality for him, if he 
offered to strike ; upon which Capt. M*Cloud of 
the Bridsh, pulled him by the skirt, and whisper- 
ed to him, as he afterwards told me, to this im- 
port ; that is was inconsistent with his honor to 
strike a prisoner. He then ordered a sergeant's 
command with fixed bayonets to come forward, 
3* 



80 EATHAN Allen's 

and kill thirteen Canadians, which were include 
ed in the treaty aforesaid. 

It cut me to the heart to see the Canadians in 
so hard a case, in consequence of their having been 
true to me ; they were wringing their hands, say- 
ing their prayers, as I concluded, and expected 
immediate death. I therefore stepped between 
the executioners and the Canadians, opened my 
clothes, and told Gen. Prescott to thrust his bay- 
onet into my breast, for I was the sole cause of 
the Canadians taking up arms. 

The guard, in the mean time, rolling their eye- 
balls from the General to me, as though impatient- 
ly waiting his dread commands to sheath their 
bayonets in my heart ; 1 could, however, plainly 
discern, that he was in a suspense and quandary 
about the matter: This gave me additional hopes 
of succeeding ; for my design was not to die, but 
to save the Canadians by a finesse. The general 
stood a minute, when he made me the following 
reply ; "I will not execute you now ; but you shall 
grace a halter at Tyburn, God damn you." 

I remember I disdained his mentioning such a 
place; I was, notwithstanding, a little pleased 
with the expression, as it significantly conveyed to^ 
me the idea of postponing the present appearance 
of death ; besides his sentence was by no means 
final, as to "gracing a halter," although I had 



NARRATIVE. 31 

anxiety about it, after I landed in England, as the 
reader will find in the course of this history. Gen. 
Prescott then ordered one of his officers to take 
me on board the Gaspee schooner of war, and 
confine me, hands and feet, in irons,which was done 
the same afternoon I was taken. 

The action continued an hour and three quar- 
ters, by the watch, and I know not to this day 
how many of my men were killed, though I am 
certain there were but few. If I remember right, 
7 were wounded ; one of them, Wm. Stewart, by 
name, was wounded by a savage with a tomahawk, 
after he was taken prisoner and disarmed, but 
was rescued by some of the generous enemy ; 
and so far recovered of his wounds, that he after- 
wards went with the other prisoners to England. 

Of the enemy, were killed a major Garden, who 
had been wounded in eleven difi'erent battles, and 
an eminent merchant, Patterson, of Montreal, and 
some others, but I never knew their whole loss, 
as their accounts were different. I am apprehen- 
sive that it is rare, that so much ammunition 
was expended, and so Uttle execution done by it ; 
though such of my party as stood the ground, be- 
haved with great fortitude, much exceeding that 
of the enemy, but were not the best of marks- 
men, and, I am apprehensive, were all killed or 
taken ; the wounded were all put into the hospital 



32 ETHAN ALLEN\s 

at Montreal, and those that were not, were put 
on board of different vessels in the river, and 
shackled together by pairs, viz. two men fastened 
together by one hand-cufF, being closely fixed to 
one wrist of each of them, and treated with the 
greatest severity, nay as criminals. 

I now come to the description of the irons, 
which were put on me : The hand-cufF was of the 
common size and form, but my leg irons, I should 
imagine would weigh thirty pounds ; the bar was 
eight feet long, and very substantial ; the shackles, 
which encompassed my ancles, were very tight. 
I was told by the officer, who put them on, that 
it was the king's plate, and I heard other of their 
officers say, that it would weigh forty weight. 
The irons were so close upon my ancles, that I 
could not lay down in any other manner than on 
my back. 1 was put into the lowest and most 
Wretched part of the vessel, where I got the favor 
of a chest to sit on '; the same answered for my bed 
at night ; and having procured some htde blocks 
of the guard, who day and night, with fixed bay- 
onets, watched over me, to lie under each end of 
the large bar of my leg irons, to preserve my 
ancles from galling, while I sat on the chest, or 
lay back on the same, though most of the time, 
night and day, I sat on it ; but at length, having 
a desire to lie down on my side, which the close- 



NARRATIVE. 33 

ness of my irons forbid, 1 desired the captain to 
loosen them for that purpose; but was denied the 
favor. The captain's name was Royal, who did 
not seem to be an ill-natured man ; but oftentimes 
said, that his express orders were to treat me 
with such severity, which was disagreeable to his 
own feelings ; nor did he ever insult me, though 
many others, who came on board did. One of 
the officers, by the name of Bradley, was very 
generous to me ; he would often send me victuals 
from his own table ; nor did a day fail, but he 
sent me a good drink of grog. 

The reader is now invited back to the time'I 
was put into irons. I requested the privilege to 
write to General Prescott, which was granted. I 
reminded him of the kind and generous manner 
of my treatment of the prisoners I took at Ticon- 
deroga ; the injustice and ungendeman-like usage 
I had met with from him, and demanded better 
usage, but received no answer from him. I soon after 
wrote to Gen. Carleton, which met the same suc- 
cess. In the mean while, many of those who 
were permitted to see me, were very insulting. 

I was confined in the manner I have related, on 
board the Gaspee schooner, about six weeks ; du- 
ring which time I was obliged to throw out plenty 
of extravagant language, which answered certain 
purposes, at that time, better than to grace a 
history. 



34 



To give an instance ; upon being insulted, in a 
fit of anger, I twisted off a nail with my teeth, 
which i took to be a ten-penny nail ; it went 
through the mortise of the bar of my hand cufF,,; 
and at the same time I swaggered over those who 
abused me ; particularly a Doctor Dace, who toldl 
me that I w^as oudawed by New-York, and de 
served death for several years past ; was at lastt 
fully ripened for the halter, and in a fair way to 
obtain it. When I challenged him, he excused! 
himself, in consequence, as he said, of my being 
a criminal ; but I flung such a flood of language atl 
him that it shocked him and the spectators, forr 
my anger was very great. I heard one say, damni 
him, can he eat iron? After that, a small padlock? 
was fixed to the hand-cuff", instead of the nail ; 
and as they were mean-spirited in their treatment 
to me, so it appeared to me, that they were 
equally timorous and cowardly. 

1 was after sent, with the prisoners taken with 
me, to an armed vessel in the river, which lay oflO 
against Quebec, under the command of Capt; 
M'Cloud, of the British, who treated me in a very; 
generous and obliging manner, and according to, 
my rank ; in about twenty-four hours 1 bid him 
farewell with regret; but my good fortune still con- 
tinued. The name of the Captain of the vessel]] 
was put on board, was Littlejohn ; who, with hiv' 



NARRATIVE. 35 

officers, behaved in a polite, generous, and friend- 
ly manner. I lived with them in the cabin, and 
fared on the best, my irons being taken off, con- 
trary to the order he had received from the com- 
manding officer; but Capt. Littlejohn swore, that 
a brave man should not be used as a rascal, on board 
his ship. 

Thus I found myself in possession of happiness 
once more, and the evils I had lately suffered, 
gave me an uncommon relish for it. 

Capt. Litdejohn used to go to Quebec almost 
every day, in order to pay his respects to certain 
gendemen and ladies ; being there on a certain 
day, he happened to meet with some disagreeable 
treatment, as he imagined, from a Lieut, of a man 
of war, and one word brought on another, untill 
the Lieutenant challenged him to a duel on the 
plains of Abraham. Capt. Litdejohn was a gen- 
tleman, who entertained a high sense of honor, and 
could do no less than accept the challenge. 

At nine o'clock the next morning they were to 
fight. The Captain returned in the evening, and 
acquainted his Lieutenant and me with the affair. 
His Lieutenant was a high blooded Scotchman, as 
well as himself, who replied to his Captain that he 
should not want for a second. With this I inter- 
rupted him and gave the Captain to understand, 
that since an opportunity had presented, I would 



36 ETHAN Allen's 

be glad to testify my gratitude to him, by acting 
the part of a faithful second ; on which he gave 
me his hand, and said that he wanted no better 
man. Says he, I am a King's officer, and you a 
prisoner under my care ; you must, therefore, go 
with me, to the place appointed in disguise, and 
added further; 'You must engage me, upon 
the honor of a gentleman, that whether I die or 
live, or whatever happens, provided you live, 
that you will return to my Lieutenant on board this 
ship.' All this I solemnly engaged him. The 
combatants were to discharge each a pocket pistol, 
and then to fall on with their iron-hilted muckle 
whangers ; and one of that sort was allotted for 
me ; but some British officers, who interposed 
early in the morning, setded the controversy with- 
out fighting. 

Now having enjoyed eight or nine days' hap- 
piness, from the poUte and generous treatment of 
Captain Littlejohn and his officers, I was obliged 
to bid them farewell, parting with them in as 
friendly a manner as we had lived together, which, 
to the best of my memory, was the eleventh of No- 
vember : when a detachment of General Arnold's 
litde army appeared on Point Levi,* opposite 

* Levi, a point of land in the river St. Lawrence, opposite to the 
city of Quebec. 



NARRATIVE. 37 

Quebec, who had performed an extraordinary march 
through a wilderness country, with design to have 
surprised the capital of Canada ; I was then taken 
on board a vessel called the Adamant, together 
with the prisoners taken with me, and put under 
the power of an English Merchant from London, 
whose name was Brook Watson : a man of mali- 
cious and cruel disposition, and who was probably 
excited, in the exercise of his malevolence, by a 
junto of tories, who sailed with him to England ; 
among whom were Col. Guy Johnson, Col. Closs, 
and their attendants and associates, to the number 
of about thirty. 

All the ship's crew. Col. Closs, in his personal 
behavior excepted, behaved towards the prison- 
ers with that spirit of bitterness, which is the 
peculiar characteristic of tories, when they have 
the friends of America in their power, measuring 
their loyalty to the English King by the barbarity, 
fraud and deceit which they exercise towards the 
whigs. 

A small place in the vessel, enclosed with white 
oak plank, was assigned for the prisoners, and 
for me among the rest. I should imagine that it 
w^as not more than twenty feet one way, and 
twenty-two the other. Into this place we were 
all, to the number of thirty -four, thrust and hand- 
cuffed, two prisoners more being added to our 
4 



38 



number, and were provided with two excrement 
tubs ; in this circumference we were obliged to 
eat and perform the offices of evacuation, during 
the voyage to England; and were insulted by 
every black-guard sailor and tory on board, in 
the crudest manner ; but what is the most surpri- 
sing is, that not one of us died in the passage. 
When 1 was first ordered to go into the filthy in- 
closure, through a small sort of door, I positively 
refused, and endeavored to reason the before 
named Brook Watson out of a conduct so dero- 
gatory to every sentiment of honor and humanity, 
but all to no purpose, my men being forced in the 
den already ; and the rascal who had the charge 
of the prisoners commanded me to go immediately 
in among the rest. He further added that the 
place was good enough for a rebel ; that it was 
impertinent for a capital ofi'ender to talk of honor 
or humanity ; that any thing short of a halter was 
too good for me ; and that that would be my por- 
tion soon after I landed in England ; for which 
purpose only I was sent thither. About the same 
time a lieutenant among the tories, insulted me in 
a grievous manner, saying that I ought to have 
been executed for my rebellion against New-York, 
and spit in my face ; upon which, though I was 
hand-cuffed, I sprang at him with both hands, and 
knocked him partly down, but he scrambled along 



NARRATIVE. 39 

into the cabin, and I after him ; there he got un- 
der the protection of some men with fixed 
bayonets, who were ordered to make ready to 
drive me into the place aforementioned. I chal- 
lenged him to fight, notwithstanding the impedi- 
ments that were on my hands, and had the exalted 
pleasure to see the rascal tremble for fear; his 
name I have forgot, but Watson ordered his guard 
to get me into the place with the other prisoners, 
dead or alive ; and I had almost as lieve die as do 
it, standing it out until they environed me round 
with bayonets ; and brutish, prejudiced, abandoned 
wretches they were, from whom I could expect 
nothing but death or wounds ; however I told them, 
that they were good honest fellows ; that I could 
not blame them ; that I was only in dispute with 
a calico merchant, who knew not how to behave 
towards a gentleman of the military establishment. 
This was spoken rather to appease them for my 
own preservation, as well as to treat Watson with 
contempt ; but still I found they were determined 
to force me into the wretched circumstances, 
which their prejudiced and depraved minds had 
prepared for me ; therefore, rather than die, I sub- 
mitted to their indignities, being drove with bayon- 
ets into the filthy dungeon with the other prisoners, 
wdiere we were denied fresh water, except a 
small allowance, which was very inadequate to 



40 ETHAN Allen's 

our wants ; and in consequence of the stench of 
the place, each of us was soon followed with a 
diarrhoea and fever, which occasioned an intoler- 
able thirst. When we asked for water, we were, 
most commonly, instead of obtaining, it insulted 
and derided ; and to add to all the horrors of the 
place, it was so dark that we could not see each 
other, and were overspread with body lice. We 
had, notwithstanding these severities, full allow- 
ance of salt provisions, and a gill of rum per day ; 
the latter of which was of the utmost service to 
us, and, probably, was the means of saving several 
of our hves. About forty days we existed in this 
manner, when the land's end of England was 
discovered from the mast head ; soon after which, 
the prisoners were taken from their gloomy abode, 
being permitted to see the hght of the sun, and 
breathe fresh air, which to us was very refreshing. 
The day following we landed at Falmouth. 

A few days before I was taken prisoner, I shift- 
ed my clothes, by which I happened be taken in 
a Canadian dress, viz : a short fawn-skin jacket, 
double-breasted, an undervest and breeches of 
sagathy, worsted stockings, a decent pair of shoes, 
two plain shirts, and a red worsted cap ; this was 
all the clothing I had, in which I made my appear- 
ance in England. 

When the prisoners were landed^ multitudes o£ 



NARRATIVE. 41 

the citizens of Falmouth, excited by curiosity, 
crowded to see us, which was equally gratifying to 
us. I saw numbers on the tops of houses, and the 
rising adjacent grounds were covered with them, of 
both sexes. The throng was so great, that the 
king's officers were obliged to draw their swords, 
and force a passage to Pendennis castle, which was 
near a mile from the town, where we w^ere closely 
confined, in consequence of orders from General 
Carleton, who then commanded in Canada. 

The rascally Brook Watson then set out for 
London in great haste, expecting the reward of 
his zeal ; but the ministry received him, as I 
have been smce informed, rather coolly ; for the 
minority in parliament took advantage, arguing that 
the opposition of America to Great Britain, was 
not a rebellion : If it is, say they, why do you not 
execute Col. Allen according to law? But the 
majority argued that I ought to be executed, and 
that the opposition was really a rebellion, but that 
policy obliged them not to do it, inasmuch as the 
Congress had then most prisoners in their power; 
so that my being sent to England, for the purpose 
of being executed, and necessity restraining them, 
was rather a foil on their laws and authority, and 
they consequently disapproved of my being sent 
thiiher. But 1 had never heard the least hint of 
those debates, in parhament, or of the working of 



42 ETHAN Allen's 

their policy, until sometime after I left Eng* 
land. 

Consequently the reader will readily conceive I 
was anxious about my preservation, knowing that 
I was in the power of a haughty and cruel nation, 
considered as such. Therefore, the first proposi^ 
lion which I determined in my own mind was, that 
humanity and moral suasion would not be consult- 
ed in the determining of my fate ; and those that 
daily came in great numbers out of curiosity, to 
see me, both gentle and simple, united in this, 
that I would be hanged. A gentleman from Amer- 
ica, by the name of Temple, and who was friendly 
to me, just whispered me in the ear, and told me 
that bets were laid in London, that I would be 
executed ; he likewise privately gave me a guinea,, 
but durst say but little to me. 

However, agreeably to my first negative propo- 
sition, that moral virtue would not influence my 
destiny, I had recourse to stratagem, which I was 
in hopes would move in the circle of their policy. 
I requested of the commander of the castle the' 
privilege of writing to Congress, who, after con- 
sulting with an officer that lived in town, of a su- 
perior rank, permitted me to write. 1 wrote, in 
the fore part of the letter, a short narrative of my 
ill-treatment; but withal let them know that, 
though I was treated as a criminal in England, 



NARRATIVE. 43 

ftiid continued in irons, together with those taken 
with me, yet it was in consequence of the orders 
which the commander of the castle received from 
General Carleton ; and therefore desired Congress 
to desist from matters of retaUation, until they 
should know the result of the government in Eng- 
land, respecting their treatment towards me, and 
the prisoners with me, and govern themselves ac- 
cordingly, with a particular request, that if retalia- 
tion should be found necessary, it might be exer- 
cised not according to the smallness of my char- 
acter in America, but in proportion to the import- 
ance of the cause for which I suffered. This is, 
according to my present recollection, the substance 
of the letter, inscribed, — " To the illustrious 
Continental Congress.^^ This letter was written 
with a view that it should be sent to the 
ministry at London, rather than to Congress, 
with a design to intimidate the haughty Eng- 
lish government, and screen my neck from the! 
halter. 

The next day the officer, from whom I obtained 
license to write, came to see me, and frowned on 
me on account of the impudence of the letter, as 
he phrased it, and further added, 'Do you think 
that we are fools in England, and would send your 
letter to Congress, with instructions to retahate on 
our own people ? 1 have sent your letter to Lord 



44 

North.' This gave me inward satisfaction, though 
I carefully concealed it with a pretended resent- 
ment, for I found I had come Yankee over him, 
and that the letter had gone to the identical per- 
son I designed it for. Nor do I know, to this day, 
but that it had the desired effect, though I have 
not heard any thing of the letter since. 

My personal treatment by Lieutenant Hamilton, 
who commanded the castle, w^as very generous. 
He sent me every day a fine breakfast and dinner 
from his own table, and a bottle of good wine. 
Another aged gentleman, whose name I cannot 
recollect, sent me a good supper. But there was 
no distinction in public support between me and 
the privates ; we all lodged on a sort of Dutch 
bunks, in one common appartment, and were 
allowed straw. The privates were well supphed 
with fresh provisions, and with me, took efiectual 
measures to rid ourselves of lice. 

I could not but feel, inwardly, extremely anx- 
ious for my fate. This, I however, concealed from 
the prisoners, as well as from the enemy, who 
were perpetually shaking the halter at me. I 
nevertheless treated them with scorn and con- 
tempt ; and having sent my letter to the ministry, 
could conceive of nothing more in my power but 
to keep up my spirits, behave in a daring, soldier- 
like manner, that I might exhibit a good sample 



NARRATIVE. 45 

of American fortitude.* Such a conduct, I judged 
would have a more probable tendency to my 
preservation than concession and timidity. This 
therefore, was my deportment ; and I had lastly 
determined, in my mind, that if a cruel death 
must inevitably be my portion, I would face it 
undaunted ; and, though I greatly rejoice that I re- 
turned to my country and friends, and to see the 
power and pride of Great Britain humbled ; yet I 
am confident I could then have died without the 
least appearance of dismay. 

1 now clearly recollect that my mind was so 
resolved, that I would not have trembled or shewn 
the least fear, as I was sensible it could not alter 
my fate, nor do more than reproach my memory, 
make my last act despicable to my enemies, and 
eclipse the other actions of my hfe. For I rea- 
soned thus, that nothing was more common than* 
for men to die with their friends around them, 
weeping and lamenting over them, but not able 
to help them, which was in reality not different in 
the consequence of it from such a death as I was 

* The British must doubtless have had a high idea of the personal 
prowess of Mr. Allen ; and however superior their regular discipline 
might have appeared in their own eyes, yet they could not but 
respect his courag-e. To this intrepid spirit, and the esteem it 
must have excited, the Colonel probably owes his complimentary 
meals and his daily bottle of wine. 



46 ETHAN Allen's 

apprehensive of; and, as death was the natural 
consequence of animal life to which the laws of 
nature subject mankind, to be timorous and un- 
easy as to the event and manner of it, was incon- 
sistent with the character of a philosopher and 
soldier. The cause I was engaged in, I ever 
viewed worthy hazarding my hfe for, nor was I, 
in the most critical moments of trouble, sorry that 
I engaged in it ; and, as to the world of spirits, 
though I knew nothing of the mode or manner of 
it, 1 expected nevertheless, when I should arrive 
at such a world, that I should be as well treated 
as other gentlemen of my merit. 

Among the great numbers of people, who came 
to the castle to see the prisoners, some gentlemen 
told me that they had come fifty miles on purpose 
to see me, and desired to ask me a number of 
questions, and to make free with me in conversa- 
tion. I gave for answer that I chose freedom in 
every sense of the word. Then one of them asked 
me what my occupation in life had been ? I an- 
swered him, that in my younger days \ had studied 
divinity, but was a conjuror by profession. He 
replied, that I conjured wrong at the time I was 
taken ; and I was obliged to own, that I mistook 
a figure at that time, but that I had conjured them 
out of Ticonderoga. This was a place of great 
notoriety in England, so that the joke seemed to 
go in my favor. 



NARRATIVE. 47 

It was a common thing for me to be taken out 
of close confinement, into a spacious green in the 
castle, or rather parade, where numbers of gentle- 
men and ladies were ready to see and hear me. 
I often entertained such audiences with harangues 
on the impracticability of Great Britain's conquer- 
ing the then colonies of America. At one of these 
times I asked a gentleman for a bowl of punch, 
and he ordered his servant to bring it, which he 
did, and offered it to me, but [ refused to take it 
from the hand of his servant ; he then gave it to 
me with his own hand, refusing to drink with me 
in consequence of my being a state criminal: — 
However, I took the punch and drank it all down 
at one draught, and handed the gendeman the 
bowl: this made the spectators as w^ell as my- 
self merry. 

I expatiated on American freedom. This gain- 
ed the resentment of a young, beardless gende- 
tleman of the company, who gave himself very 
great airs, and replied that he ' knew the Ameri- 
cans very well, and was certain that they could 
not bear the smell of powder.' I replied, that I 
accepted it as a challenge, and was ready to con- 
vince him on the spot, that an American could 
bear the smell of powder ; at which he answered 
that he should not put himself on a par with me. 
I then demanded of him to treat the character of 



48 ETHAN ALLEN^S 

the Americans with due respect. He answered 
that I was an Irishman ; but I assured him that I 
was a full blooded Yankee, and in fine bantered 
him so much, that he left me in possession of the 
ground, and the laugh went against him. Two; 
clergymen came to see me, and, inasmuch as theyj 
behaved with civility, I returned them the same.; 
We discoursed on several parts of moral philoso- 
phy and Christianity ; and they seemed to be sur- 
prised that I should be acquainted with such top- 
ics, or that I should understand a syllogism, or reg- 
ular mode of argumentation. I am apprehensive 
my Canadian dress contributed not a htde to thei 
surprise, and excitement of curiosity: to see a 
gentleman in England regularly dressed and well 
behaved would be no sight at all ; but such a reb- 
el as they were pleased to call me, it is probable, 
was never before seen in England. 

The prisoners were landed at Falmouth a few 
days before Christmas, and ordered on board of 
the Solebay frigate, Capt. Symonds, on the eighth 
day of January, 1776, when our hand irons were 
taken off. This remove was in consequence, as II 
have been since informed, of a writ of habeas cor- 
pus, which had been procured by some gentlemen 
in England, in order to obtain me my liberty. 

The Solebay, with sundry other men-of-war,, 
and about forty transports, rendezvoused at the 



NARRATIVE. 49 

cove of Cork in Ireland, to take in provisions and 
water. 

When we w^ere first brought on board, captain 
Symonds ordered all the prisoners, and most of the 
hands on board to go on the deck, and caused to be 
read in their hearing, a certain code of laws or 
rules, for the regulation and ordering of their be- 
havior ; and then in a sovereign manner, ordered 
the prisoners, me in particular, off the deck, and 
never to come on it again ; for, said he, this" is a 
place for gentlemen to walk. So I went off, an 
officer following me, who told me that he would 
shew me the place allotted for me, and took me 
down to the cable tier, saying to me this is your 
place. 

Prior to this I had taken cold, by w^hich I was 
in an ill state of health, and did not say much to 
the officer ; but stayed there that night, consulted 
my policy, and I found I was in an evil case ; 
that a captain of a man-of-war was more arbitrary 
than a king, as he could view his territory with a 
look of his eye, and a movement of his finger 
commanded obedience. I felt myself more des- 
ponding than I had done at any time before ; for 
I concluded it to be a government scheme, to 
do that clandestinely which policy forbid to be 
done under sanction of any public justice and 
law. 

5 



60 ETHAN ALLEN^S 

However, two days after, I shaved and cleansed 
myself as well as I could, and went on deck. The 
captain spoke to me in a great rage, and said : 
'did I not order you not to come on deck?' I 
answered him, that at the same time he said, 
* that it was the place for gendemen to walk ; that 
I was Colonel Allen, but had not been properly 
introduced to him.' He repHed, G — d damn you, 
sir, be careful not to walk the same side of the deck 
that I do. This gave me encouragement, and 
ever after that I walked in. the manner he had 
directed,' except when he, at certain times after- 
wards, had ordered me off in a passion, and I then 
w^ould directly afterwards go on again, telling him 
to command his slaves ; that I was a gentleman 
and had a right to walk the deck ; yet when he 
expressly ordered me off, I obeyed, not out of 
obedience to him, but to set an example to the 
ship's crew, who ought to obey him. 

To walk to the windward side of the deck is, 
according to custom, the prerogative of the captain 
of the man-of-war, though he, sometimes, nay 
commonly, walks with his lieutenants, when no 
strangers are by. When a captain from some 
other man-of-war, comes on board, the captains 
walk to the windward side, and the other gentle- 
men to the leeward. 

It was but a few nights I lodged in the cable 



JIARRATIVE. 51 

tier, before I gained an acquaintance with the mas- 
ter of arms, his name was Gillegan, an Irishman, 
who was a generous and well disposed man, and 
in a friendly manner made me an offer of living 
with him in a little birth, which was allotted him 
between decks, and enclosed with canvass; his 
preferment on board was about equal to that of 
a Serjeant in a regiment. I was comparatively 
happy in the acceptance of his clemency, and 
lived with him in friendship till the frigate anchored 
in the harbor of Cape Fear, North Carolina, in 
America. 

Nothing of material consequence happened till 
the fleet rendezvoused at the cove of Cork, except 
a violent storm which brought old hardy sailors to 
their prayers. It was soon rumored in Cork that 
I was on board the Solebay, with a number of 
prisoners from America ; upon which Messrs. 
Clark & Hays, merchants in company, and a 
number of other benevolently disposed gentlemen, 
contributed largely to the relief and support of the 
prisoners, who were thirty -four in number, and 
in very needy circumstances. A suit of clothes 
from head to foot, including an overcoat or sur- 
tout, and two shirts were bestowed upon each of 
them. My suit I received in superfine broadcloths, 
sufficient for two jackets and two pair of breeches, 
overplus of a suit throughout, eight fine Holland 



5g 

shirts and stocks ready made, with a number of 
pairs of silk and worsted hose, two pair of shoes, 
two beaver hats, one of which was sent me richly 
laced with gold, by James Bonwell. The Irish 
gentlemen furthermore made a large gratuity of 
wines of the best sort, spirits, gin, loaf and brown 
sugar, tea and chocolate, with a large round of 
pickled beef, and a number of fat turkies, with 
many other articles, for my sea stores, too tedious 
to mention here. To the privates they bestowed 
on each man two pounds of tea, and six pounds 
of brown sugar. These articles were received 
on board at a time when the captain and first 
lieutenant were gone on shore, by the permission 
of the second Heutenant, a handsome young gen- 
tleman, who was then under twenty years ot 
age ; his name was Douglass, son of admiral Doug- 
lass, as I was informed. 

As this munificence was so unexpected and 
plentiful, I may add needful, it impressed on my 
mind the highest sense of gratitude towards my 
benefactors ; for I was not only supplied with the 
necessaries and conveniences of life, but with the 
grandeurs and superfluities of it. Mr. Hays, one 
of the donators before-mentioned, came on board,, 
and behaved in the most obliging manner, telling 
me that he hoped my troubles were past ; for that 
the gentlemen of Cork determined to make my 



NARRATIVE. 53 

sea stores equal to those of the captain of the Sole- 
bay ; he made an offer of live stock and wherewith 
to support them ; but I knew this would be denied. 
And to crown all, did send me by another person, 
fifty guineas, but I could not reconcile receiving 
the whole to my own feelings, as it might have 
the appearance of avarice ; and therefore received 
but seven guineas only, and am confident, not 
only from the exercise of the present well timed 
generosity, but from a large acquaintance with 
gendemen of this nation, that as a people they 
excel in liberality and bravery. 

Two days after the receipt of the aforesaid do- 
nations, captain Symonds came on board, full of 
envy towards the prisoners, and swore by all that 
is good, that the damned American rebels should 
not be feasted at this rate, by the damned rebels of 
Ireland ; he therefore took away all my liquors 
before-mentioned, except some of the wine which 
was secreted, and a two gallon jug of old spirits 
which was reserved for me per favor of lieutenant 
Douglass. The taking of my liquors w^as abomin- 
able in his sight ; he therefore spoke in my behalf, 
till the captain was angry with him ; and in con- 
sequence, proceeded and took away all the tea 
^nd sugar, which had been given to the prisoners, 
and confiscated it to the use of the ship's crew. 
Our clothing was not taken away, but the privates 
3* 



54 EATHAN ALLEN^S 

were forced to do duty on board. Soon after this- 
there came a boat to the side of the ship, and 
captain Symonds asked a gendeman in it, in my 
hearing, what his business was? who answered 
that he was sent to deUver some sea stores to Col. 
Allen, which if I remember right, he said were sent 
from Dublin ; but the captain damned him heartily, 
ordering him away from the ship, and would not 
suffer him to deliver the stores. I was further- 
more informed that the gentlemen in Cork, 
requested of captain Symonds, that I might be 
allowed to come into the city,, and that they would 
be responsible I should return to the frigate at a 
given time, which was denied them. 

We sailed from England the 8th day of January, 
and from the cove of Cork the 12th day of Feb'y. 
Just before we sailed, the prisoners with me were 
divided, and put on board three different ships of 
war. This gave me some uneasiness, for they 
were to a man zealous in the cause of liberty, and 
behaved with a becoming fortitude in the various 
scenes of their captivity ; but those, who were 
distributed on board other ships of war were much 
better used than those who tarried with me, 
as appeared afterwards. When the fleet, con- 
sisting of about forty-five sail^ including five men 
of war, sailed from the cove with a fresh breeze, 
the appearance was beautiful, abstracted from the 



NARRATIVE. 65 

unjust and bloody designs they had in view. We 
had not sailed many days, before a mighty storm 
arose, which lasted near twenty-four hours with- 
out intermission. The wind blew with relendess 
fury, and no man could remain on deck, except 
he was lashed fast, for the waves rolled over the 
deck by turns, with a forcible rapidity and every 
soul on board was anxious for the preservation of 
the ship, alias, their Hves. In this storm the Thun- 
der-bomb man of war sprang a leak, and was 
afterwards floated to some part to the coast of 
England, and the crew saved. We were then 
said to be in the Bay of Biscay. After the storm 
abated, I could plainly discern the prisoners were 
better used for some considerable time. 

Nothing of consequence happened after this, 
till we had sailed to the island of Madeira, except 
a certain favor I had received of captain Symonds, 
in consequence of an application I made to him 
for the privilege of his tailor to make me a suit 
of clothes of the cloth bestowed on me in Ireland, 
which he generously granted. I could then walk 
the deck with a seeming better grace. When we 
had reached Madeira, and anchored, sundry gen- 
tlemen with the captain went on shore, who I 
conclude, gave the rumor that I was in the frigate ; 
upon which I soon after found that Irish generosity 
was again excited ; for a gentleman of that nation 



5() ETHAN Allen's 

sent his clerk on board, to know of me if I would 
accept a sea store from him, particularly wine. 
This matter 1 made known to the generous heu- 
tenant Douglass, who readily granted me the 
favor, provided the articles could be brought on 
board, during the time of his command ; adding 
that it would be a pleasure to him to serve me, 
notwithstanding the opposition he met with before. 
So I directed the gentleman's clerk to inform him 
that I was greatly in need of so signal a charity, 
and desired the young gentleman to make the 
the utmost despatch, which he did ; but in the 
meantime, captain Symonds and his officers came 
on board, and immediately made ready for sailing ; 
the wind at the same time being fair, set sail when 
the young gentleman was in fair sight with the 
aforesaid store. 

The reader will doubtless recollect the seven 
guineas I received at the cove of Cork. These 
enabled me to purchase of the purser what I 
wanted, had not the Captain strictly forbidden it, 
though I made sundry applications to him for that 
purpose; but his answer to me, when I w^as sick, 
was, that it was no matter how soon I was dead, 
and that he was no ways anxious to preserve the 
lives of rebels, but wished them all dead ; and 
indeed that was the language of most ot the ship's 
crew. I expostulated not only with the captain, 



NARRATIVE* 57 

but with other gentlemen on board, on the unrea- 
sonableness of such usage; inferring that, inas- 
much as the government in England did not pro- 
ceed against me as a capital offender, they should 
not ; for that they were by no means empowered 
by any authority, either civil or military, to do so ; 
for the Enghsh government had acquitted me by 
sending me back a prisoner of war to America, 
and that they should treat me as such. I further 
drew an inference of impoUcy on them, provided 
they should by hard usage, destroy my life ; inas- 
much as I might, if living, redeem one of their 
officers ; but the captain rephed, that he needed 
no directions of mine how to treat a rebel ; that 
the British would conquer the American rebels, 
hang the Congress, and such as promoted the 
rebellion, me in particular, and retake their own 
prisoners ; so that my life was of no consequence 
in the scale of their policy. I gave him for an- 
swer that if they stayed till they conquered Ame- 
rica, before they hanged me, 1 should die of old 
age, and desired that till such an event took place, 
he would at least allow me to purchase of the 
purser, for my own money, such articles as I 
gready needed ; but he would not permit it, and 
when I reminded him of the generous and civil 
usage that their prisoners in captivity in America 
met with, he said that it was not owing to their 



58 EATHAN Allen's 

goodness, but to their timidity ; for^ said he, they 
expect to be conquered, and therefore dare not 
misuse our prisoners ; and in fact this was the 
language of the British officers, till Burgoyne was 
taken ; * happy event ! and not only of the officers 
but the whole British army. I appeal to all my 
brother prisoners, who have been with the British 
in the southern department, for a confirmation of 
what I have advanced on this subject* The 
surgeon of the Solebay, whose name was North, 
was a very humane, obliging man, and took the 
best care of the prisoners who were sick. 

The third day of May we cast anchor in the 
harbor of Cape Fear, in North Carolina, as did 

* It was the plan of the British generals, to push a body of 
troops from New- York, to join General Burgoyne at Albany, and 
by establishing a line of British posts on the Hudson, to intercept 
the intercourse between the New England and Southern States. 
While General Burgoyne was attempting to advance towards Al- 
bany, General Clinton with a force of three thousand men took 
possion of Fort Montgomery, after severe loss. General Vaughan, 
with a body of troops, on board of armed ships, sailed up the Hud- 
son, as far as Livingston's manor, where he landed a party, burnt 
a large house belonging to one of the family ; then sent a party to 
the opposite shore and laid in ashes the town of Kingston. But 
General Burgoyne, despairing of the junction between his army 
and the division from New-York, surrounded by a superior army, 
and unable to retreat, consented to capitulate, and on the 17th 
of October, surrendered to the American General. The detach- 
ment under General Vaughan returned to New- York and the plan 
ol the British commanders was totally frustrated. 



NARRATIVE. 59 

Sir Peter Parker's ship, of 50 guns, a little back of 
the bar ; for there was not depth of water for him 
to come into the harbor. These two men of w^ar, 
and fourteen sail of transports and others, came 
after, so that most of the fleet rendezvoused at 
Cape Fear, for three weeks. The soldiers on 
board the transports were sickly, in consequence 
of so long a passage ; add to this the small-pox 
carried off many of them. They landed on the 
main, and formed a camp ; but the riflemen an- 
noyed them, and caused them to move to an 
island in the harbor; but such cursing of riflemen 
I never heard. 

A detachment of regulars was sent up Bruns- 
wick river ; as they landed, they were fired on by 
those marksmen, and they came back next day 
damning the rebels for their unmanly way of fight- 
ing, and swearing that they would give no quarter, 
for they took sight at them, and were behind tim- 
ber skulking about. One of the detachments said 
they lost one man; but a negro man who was 
with them, and heard what was said, soon after 
told me that he helped to bury thirty-one ot them ; 
this did me some good to find my countrymen 
giving them batde ; for I never heard such swag- 
gering as among Gen. Clinton's little army who 
commanded at that time ; and I am apt to think 
there were four thousand men, though not two 



60 ETHAN Allen's 

thirds of them fit for duty. I heard numbers of 
them say, that the trees in America should hang 
well with fruit that campaign for they would give 
no quarter. This was in the mouths of most who 
I heard speak on the subject, officer as well as 
soldier. 1 wished at that time my countrymen 
knew, as well as I did, what a murdering and cruel 
enemy they had to deal with ; but experience has 
since taught this country, what they are to ex- 
pect at the hands of Britons when in their power. 

The prisoners, who had been sent on board 
different men of war at the cove of Cork, were 
collected together, and the whole of them put on 
board the Mercury frigate, capt. James Montague, 
except one of the Canadians, who died on the 
passage from Ireland, and Peter Noble, who made 
his escape from the Sphynx man-of-war in this 
harbour, and, by extraordinary swimming, got safe 
home to New-England, and gave intelligence of 
the usage of his brother prisoners. The Mercury 
set sail from this port for Hahfax, about the 20th 
of May, and Sir Peter Parker was about to sail 
with the land forces, under the command of Gen. 
Clinton, for the reduction of Charleston, the capitol 
of South-Carolina, and when I heard of his defeat 
in Halifax, it gave me inexpressible satisfaction. 

I now found myself under a worse captain than 
Symonds ; for Montague was loaded with preju- 



NARRATIVE. 61 

dices against every body, and every thing that was 
not stamped with royalty; and being by nature 
undervvitted, his wrath was heavier than the 
others, or at least his mind was in no instance lia- 
ble to be diverted by good sense, humour or bra- 
very, of which Symonds was by turns susceptible. 
A Capt. Francis Proctor was added to our num- 
ber of prisoners when we were first put on board 
this ship. This gentleman had formerly belonged 
to the English service. The Captain, and in fine, 
all the gendemen of the ship, were very much in- 
sensed against him, and put him in irons with- 
out the least provocation, and he was continued 
in this miserable situation about three months. In 
this passage the prisoners were mfected with the 
scurvy, some more and some less, but most of 
them severely. The ship's crew was to a great 
degree troubled with it, and I concluded that it 
was catching. Several of the crew died with it 
on their passage. I w^as weak and feeble in con- 
sequence of so long and cruel a captivity, yet had 
but little of the scurvy. 

The purser was again expressly forbid by the 
captain to let me have any thing out of his store ; 
upon which I went upon deck, and in the hand- 
somest manner requested the favor of purchasing 
a few necessaries of the purser, which was deni- 
ed me ; he further told me, that I should be 
6 



62 ETHAN Allen's 

hanged as soon as I arrived at Halifax. I tried 
to reason the matter with him, but found him 
proof against reason ; I also held up his honor to 
view, and his behavior to me and the prisoners in 
general, as being derogatory to it, but found his 
honor impenetrable. I then endeavored to touch 
his humanity, but found he had none ; for his pre- 
possession of bigotry to his own party, had con- 
firmed him in an opinion, that no humanity w^as 
due to unroyahsts, but seemed to think that hea- 
ven and earth were made merely to gratify the 
King and his creatures; he uttered considerable 
unintelligible and grovelling ideas, a little tinctur- 
ed with monarchy, but stood well to his text of 
hanging me. He afterwards forbade his surgeon 
to administer any help to the sick prisoners. I 
was every night shut down in the cable tier, with 
the rest of the prisoners, and we all lived misera- 
bly while under his power. But I received some 
generosity from several of the midshipmen, who 
in degree alleviated my misery ; one of their names 
was Putrass, the names of the others I do not re- 
collect ; but they were obliged to be private in the 
bestowment of their favor, which was sometimes 
good wine bitters, and at others a generous drink 
of grog. 

Sometime in the first week of June, we came 
to anchor at the Hook off New York, where we 



NARRATIVE. 63 

remained but three days ; in which time governor 
Try on, Mr. Kemp, the old attorney general of 
New -York, and several other perfidious and over 
grown tories and land-jobbers, came on board. 
Tryon viewed me with a stern countenance, as 1 
was walking on the leeward side the deck with 
the midshipmen ; and he and his companions were 
w^alking with the captain and lieutenant, on the 
windward side of the same, but never spoke to 
me, though it is altogether probable that he thought 
of the old quarrel between him, the old govern- 
ment of New York, and the Green-Mountain Boys. 
Then they went with the captain into the cabin, 
and the same afternoon returned on board a ves- 
sel, where at that time they took sanctuary from 
the resentment of their injured country. What 
passed between the officers of the ship and these vi- 
siters 1 know not ; but this I know that my treatment 
fi^om the officers was more severe afterwards. 

We arrived at Halifax not far from the middle 
of June, where the ship's crew, which was infested 
with the scurvy, were taken on shore, and shallow 
trenches dug, into which they were put, and partly 
covered with earth. Indeed every proper mea- 
sure was taken for their rehef. The prisoners were 
not permitted any sort of medicine, but were put 
on board a sloop which lay in the harbor, near the 
town of Halifax, surrounded with several men oi 



64 ETHAN Allen's 

war and their tenders, and a guard constantly set 
over them, night and day. The sloop we had whol- 
ly to ourselves except the guard who occupied the 
forecastle ; here we were cruelly pinched with 
hunger ; it seemed to me that we had not more 
than one third of the common allowance. We 
were all seized with violent hunger and faitness ; 
we divided our scanty allowance as exact as possi- 
ble. I shared the same fate with the rest, and though 
they offered me more than an even share, I refu- 
sed to accept it, as it was a time of substantial 
distress, which in my opinion I ought to partake 
equally with the rest, and set an example of virtue 
and fortitude to our little commonwealth. 

I sent letter after letter to captain Montague, 
who still had the care of us, and also to his lieu- 
tenant, whose name I cannot call to mind, but 
could obtain no answer, much less a redress of 
grievances ; and to add to the calamity, near a 
dozen of the prisoners were dangerously ill of the 
scurvy. I wrote private letters to the doctors, 
to procure, if possible, some remedy for the sick, 
but in vain. The chief physician came by in a 
boat, so close that the oars touched the sloop that 
we were in, and 1 uttered my complaint in the 
genteelest manner to him, but he never so much 
as turned his head, or made me any answer, though 
I continued speaking till he got out of hearing. 



NARRATIVE. 65 

Our cause then became deplorable. Still I kept 
writing to the captain, till he ordered the guards, 
as they told me, not to bring any more letters 
from me to him. In the meantime an event hap- 
pened worth relating. One of the men almost 
dead with the scurvy, lay by the side of the sloop, 
and a canoe of Indians coming by, he purchased 
two quarts of strawberries, and ate them at once, 
and it almost cured him. The money he gave for 
them, was all the money he had in the \\ orld. 
After that we tried every way to procure more of 
that fruit, reasoning from analogy that they might 
have the same effect on others infested with the 
same disease, but could obtain none. 

Meanwhile the doctor's mate of the Mercury 
came privately on board the prison sloop and 
presented me with a large vial of smart drops, 
which proved to be good for the scurvy, though 
vegetables and some other ingredients were requi- 
site for a cure ; but the drops gave at least a check 
to the disease. This was a well-timed exertion 
t)f humanity, but the doctor's name has slipped 
my mind, and in my opinion, it was the means of 
saving the hves of several men. 

The guard, which was set over us, was by this 

time touched with the feelings of compassion ; 

and I finally trusted one of them with a letter of 

<:omplaint to governor Arbuthnot, of Halifax, which 

6* 



66 ETHAN Allen's 

he found means to communicate, and which had 
the desired effect; for the governor sent an officer 
and surgeon on board the prison sloop, to know 
the truth of the complaint. The officer's name 
was Russell, who held the rank of lieutenant, and 
treated me in a friendly and pohte manner, and 
was really angry at the cruel and unmanly usage the 
prisoners met with; and with the surgeon made 
a true report of matters to governor Arbuthnot, 
who, either by his order or influence, took us 
next day from the prison sloop to Halifax jail, 
where 1 first became acquainted with the now Hon. 
James Lovel, one of the members of Congress 
for the state of Massachusetts. The sick were 
taken to the hospital, and the Canadians, who 
were effective, were employed in the King's 
w^orks ; and when their countrymen were recovered 
from the scurvy and joined them, they all deserted 
the king's employ, and w^ere not heard oi at Hali- 
fax, as long as the remainder of the prisoners 
continued there, which was till near the middle of 
October. We were on board the prison sloop about 
six weeks, and w^ere landed at Halifax near the 
middle of August. Several of our English-Amer- 
ican prisoners, who were cured of the scurvy at 
the hospital, made their escape from thence,, 
and after a long time reached their old habita- 
tions. 



NARRATIVE. 67 

1 had now but thirteen with me, of those who 
were taken in Canada, and remained in jail with 
me in Halifax, who, in addition to those that were 
imprisoned before, made our number about thirty- 
four, who were all locked up in one common large 
room, without regard to rank, education or any 
other accomplishment, where we continued from 
the setting to the rising sun ; and, as sundry of 
them were infected with the jail and other dis- 
tempers, the furniture of this spacious room con- 
sisted principally of excrement tubs. Wc petitioned 
for a removal of the sick into the hospitals, but 
were denied. We lemonstrated against the ungen- 
erous usage of being confined with the privates, as 
being contrary to the laws and customs of nations, 
and particularly ungrateful in them in consequence 
of the gendeman-like usage which the British im- 
prisoned officers met within America; and thus 
we wearied ourselves, petitioning and remonstra- 
ting, but to no purpose at all ; for general Massey, 
who commanded at Halifax, was as inflexible as 
the devil himself, a fine preparative this for Mr* 
Lovel, member of the Continental Congress. 

Lieutenant Russell, whom J have mentioned 
before, came to visit me in prison, and assured 
me that he had done his utmost to procure my 
parole for enlargement ; at which a British captainy 
who was then town-major, expressed compassiou 



68 ETHAN ALLEN^S 

for the gentlemen confined in the filthy place, and 
assured me that he had used his influence to pro-^ 
cure their enlargement ; his name was near like 
Ramsey. Among the prisoners there were five 
in number, who had a legal claim to a parole, viz* 
James Level, Esq., captain Francis Proctor, a Mr* 
Howland, master of a continental armed vessel, a 
Mr. Taylor, his mate, and myself. 

As to the article of provision, we were well ser-* 
Ved, much better than in any part oi my captivi- 
ty; and since it was Mr. Level's misfortunes and 
mine to be prisoners, and in so wretched circum^ 
stances, I was happy that we were together as a 
mutual support to each other, and to the unfortu- 
nate prisoners with us. Our first attention was 
the preservation of ourselves and injured litde re- 
public ; the rest of our time we devoted inter- 
changeably to pohtics and philosophy, as patience 
was a needful exercise in so evil a situation, but 
contentment mean and impracticable. 

I had not been in this jail many days, before 
a worthy and charitable woman, by the name of 
Mrs. Blacden, supplied me with a good dinner of 
fresh meats every day, with garden fruit, and 
sometimes with a botde of wine: notwithstanding 
which I had not been more than three weeks in 
this place before I lost all appetite to the most de- 
licious food, by the jail distemper, as also did 



NARRATIVE. 69 

sundry of the prisoners, particularly a sergeant 
Moore, a man of courage and fidelity. I have 
several times seen him hold the boatswain of the 
Solebay frigate, when he attempted to strike him, 
and laughed him out of conceit of using him as a 
slave. 

A doctor visited the sick, and did the best, as I 
suppose, he could for them, to no apparent pur- 
pose. I grew weaker and weaker, as did the rest. 
Several of them could not help themselves. At 
last I reasoned in my own mind, that raw onion 
would be good. I made use of it, and found im- 
mediate relief by it, as did the sick in general, par- 
ticularly sergeant Moore, whom it recovered almost 
from the shades ; though I had met with a litde 
revival, still I found the malignant hand of Britain 
had greatly reduced my constitution with stroke 
upon stroke. Esquire Level and myself used 
every argument and entreaty that could be well 
conceived of in order to obtain gentleman-like 
usage, to no purpose. I then wrote Gen. Massey 
as severe a letter as I possibly could with my friend 
Level's assistance. The contents of it was to give 
the British, as a nation, and him as an individual, 
their true character. This roused the rascal, for 
he could not bear to see his and the nation's de- 
formity in that transparent letter, which I sent him'; 
he therefore put himself in a great rage about it. 



70 

and showed the letter to a number of British offi- 
cers, particularly to captain Smith of the Lark 
frigate, who, instead of joining with him in disap- 
probation, commended the spirit of it ; upon 
which general Massey said to him do you take 
the part of a rebel against me ? Captain Smith 
answered that he rather spoke his sentiments, and 
there was a dissention in opinion between them. 
Some officers took the part of the general, and 
others of the captain. This I was informed of by 
a gentleman who had it from captain Smith. 

In a few days after this, the prisoners were or- 
dered to go on board of a man of war, which was 
bound for New-York ; but two of them were not 
able to go on board, and were left at Halifax ; one 
died ; and the other recovered. This was about 
the 12th of October, and soon after we had got 
on board, the captain sent for me in particular to 
come on the quarter deck. I went, not knowing 
that it was captain Smith, or his ship, at that time, 
and expected to meet the same rigorous usage I 
had commonly met with, and prepared my mind 
accordingly ; but when I came on deck, the cap- 
tain met me with his hand, welcomed me to his 
ship, invited me to dine with him that day, and 
assured me that I should be treated as a gentle- 
man, and that he had given orders, that I should 
be treated with respect by the ship's crew. This 



NARRATIVE. 71 

was so unexpected and sudden a transition, that 
it drew tears from my eyes, which all the ill usage 
1 had before met with, was not able to produce, 
nor could I at first hardly speak, but soon recov- 
ered myself and expressed my gratitude for so 
unexpected a favor ; and let him know that I felt 
anxiety of mind in reflecting that his situation and 
mine was such, that it was not probable that it 
would ever be in my power to return the favor. 
Captain Smith replied, that he had no reward in 
view, but only treated me as a gentleman ought 
to be treated ; he said this is a mutable world, 
and one gendeman never knows but it may be in 
his power to help another. Soon after I found 
this to be the same captain Smith who took my 
part against general Massey ; but he never men- 
tioned any thing of it to me, and 1 thought it 
impohte in me to interrogate him, as to any dis- 
putes which might have arisen between him and 
the general on my account, as I was a prisoner, 
and that it was at his option to make free with me 
on that subject, if he pleased ; and if he did not, 
I might take it for granted that it would be un- 
pleasing for me to query about it, though I had a 
strong propensity to converse with him on that 
subject. 

I dined with the captain agreeable to his invita- 
tion, and oftentimes with the lieutenant, in the 



72 

gun-room, but in general ate and drank with my 
friend Lovel and the other gentlemen who were 
prisoners with me, where I also slept. 

We had a little berth enclosed with canvas, be- 
tween decks, where we enjoyed ourselves very 
well, in hopes of an exchange ; besides, our 
friends at Halifax had a little notice of our depar- 
ture, and supplied us with spirituous liquor, and 
many articles of provision for the cost. Captain 
Burk, having been taken prisoner, was added to 
our company, (he had commanded an American 
armed vessel) and was generously treated by the 
captain and all the officers of the ship, as well as 
myself. We now had in all near thirty prisoners 
on board, and as we were sailing along the coast, 
if I recollect right, off Fhode-Island, captain 
Burk, with an under officer of the ship, whose 
name I do not recollect, came to our Utde berth, 
proposed to kill captain Smith and the principal 
officers of the frigate and take it ; adding that 
there were thirty-five thousand pounds sterling in 
the same. Captain Burk hkewise averred that a 
strong party out of the ship's crew was in the 
conspiracy, and urged me, and the gendeman that 
was with me, to use our influence with the private 
prisoners, to execute the design, and take the 
ship with the cash into one of our own ports. 
Upon which I replied, that we had been too 



KARRATIVE. 73 

well used on board to murder the officers ; that I 
could by no means reconcile it to my conscience, 
and that, in fact, it should not be done ; and while 
I was yet speaking, my friend Level confirmed 
what I had said, and farther pointed out the un- 
gratefulness of such an act ; that it did not fall 
short of murder, and in fine all the gentlemen in 
the berth opposed captain Burk and his colleague. 
But they strenuously urged that the conspiracy 
would be found out, and that it would cost them 
their lives, provided they did not execute their 
design. I then interposed spiritedly, and put an 
end to further argument on the subject, and told 
them that they might depend upon it, upon my 
honor, that I would faithfully guard captain Smith's 
Hfe. If they should attempt the assault, I would 
assist him, for ihey desired me to remain neuter, and 
that the same honor that guarded captain Smith's 
life, would also guard theirs ; and it was agreed 
by those present not to reveal the conspiracy, to 
the intent that no man should be put to death, in 
consequence of what had been projected; and 
captain Burk and his colleague went to stifle the 
matter among their associates. I could not help 
calling to mind what captain Smith said to me, 
when I first came on board : " This is a mutable 
world, and one gentleman never knows but that 
it may be in his power to help another." Captain 
7 



74 ETHAN alley's 

Smith and his officers still behaved with their usual 
courtesy, and I never heard any more of the 
conspiracy. 

We arrived before New-York, and cast anchor 
the latter part of October, where we remained 
several days, and where captain Smith informed 
me, that he had recommended me to admiral 
Howe and general Sir Wm. Howe, as a gentle- 
man of honor and veracity, and desired that I 
might be treated as such. Captain Burk was then 
ordered on board a prison-ship in the harbor. I 
took my leave of captain Smith, and with the 
other prisoners, was sent on board a transport 
ship, which lay in the harbor, commanded by 
captain Craige, who took me into the cabin with 
him and his lieutenant. 1 fared as they did, and 
was in every respect well treated, in consequence 
of directions from captain Smith. In a few weeks 
after this I had the happiness to part with my 
friend Lovel, for his sake, whom the enemy af- 
fected to treat as a private ; he was a gentleman 
of merit, and liberally educated, but had no com- 
mission ; they maligned him on account of his 
unshaken attachment to the cause of his country. 
He was exchanged for a governor Philip Skene of 
of the British. I was continued in this ship till 
the latter part of November, where I contracted 
an acquaintance with the captain of the British ; 



NARRATIVE. 75 

his name has slipped my memory. He was what 
we may call a genteel, hearty fellow. I remember 
an expression of his over a bottle of wine, to this 
import : " That there is a greatness of soul for 
personal friendship to subsist between you and 
me, as we are upon opposite sides, and may at 
another day be obliged to face each other in the 
field." I am confident that he was as faithful as 
any officer in the British army. At another sit- 
ting he offered to bet a dozen of wine, that fort 
Washington would be in the hands of the British 
in three days. I stood the bet, and would, had 
I known that that would have been the case ; and 
the third day afterwards we heard a heavy 
cannonade, and that day the fort was taken sure 
enough. Some months after, when I was on 
parole, he called upon me with his usual humor, 
and mentioned the bet. I acknowledged I had 
lost it, but he said he did not mean to take it 
then, as I was a prisoner ; that he would another 
day call on me, when their army came to Ben- 
nington. I replied, that he was quite too generous, 
as I had fairly lost it ; besides, the Green-Moun- 
tain-Boys would not suff'er them to come to 
Bennington. This was all in good humor. I 
should h[ive been glad to have seen him after the 
defeat at Bennington, but did not. It was cus- 
tomary for a guard to attend the prisoners, which 



76 

was often changed. One was composed of tories 
from Connecticut, in the vicinity of Fairfield and 
Green Farms. The sergeant's name was Hoit. 
They were very full of their invectives against the 
country, swaggered of their loyalty to their king, 
and exclaimed bitterly against the "cowardly 
yankees," as they were pleased to term them, 
but finally contented themselves with saying, that 
when the country was overcome, they should be 
well rewarded for their loyalty out of the estates 
of the whigs, which would be confiscated. This 
I found to be the general language of the tories, 
after I arrived from England on the American 
coast. 1 heard sundry of them relate, that the 
British generals had engaged them an ample re- 
ward for their losses, disappointments and expen- 
ditures, out of the forfeited rebels' estates. This 
language early taught me what to do with tories' 
estates, as far as my influence can go. For it is 
really a game of hazard between whig and tory. 
The whigs must inevitably have lost all, in conse- 
quence of the abilities of the tories, and their 
good friends the British ; and it is no more than 
right the tories should run the same risk, in con- 
sequence of the abilities of the whigs. But of 
this more will be observed in the sequel of this 
narrative. 



NARRATIVE. 77 

Some of the last days of November, the prison- 
ers were landed at New-York, and I was admitted 
to parole with the other officers, viz : Proctor, 
Howland and Taylor. The privates were put into 
filthy churches in New-York, with the distressed 
prisoners that were taken at Fort Washington ; 
and the second night, sergeant Roger Moore, who 
was bold and enterprising, found means to make his 
escape with every of the remaining prisoners that 
were taken with me, except three, who were soon 
after exchanged. So that out of thirty-one prison- 
ers, who went with me the round exhibited in these 
sheets, two only died with the enemy, and three 
only were exchanged ; one of whom died after he 
came within our lines ; all the rest, at different 
times, made their escape from the enemy. 

I now found myself on parole, and restricted 
to the hmits of the city of New-York, where I 
soon projected means to Uve in some measure 
agreeably to my rank, though I was destitute of 
cash. My constitution was almost worn out by- 
such a long and barbarous captivity. The enemy 
gave out that I was crazy, and wholly unmanned, 
but my vitals held sound, nor w^as I delirious any 
more than I had been from youth up ; but my 
extreme circumstances, at certain times, rendered 
it politic to act in some measure the ipadman ; 
and in consequence of a regular diet and exercise, 
7* 



78 Ef HAIV AI.LEN^S 

my blood recruited, and my nerves in a gf-eat 
measm'e recovered their former tone, strength 
and usefulness, in the course of six months. 

I next invite the reader to a retrospective sight 
and consideration of the doleful scene of inhuman- 
ity, exercised by general Sir William Howe, and 
the army under his command, towards the prison- 
ers taken on Long-Island, on the 27th day of Aug. 
1776; sundry of whom were, in an inhuman and 
barbarous manner, murdered after they had sur- 
rendered their arms ; particularly a general Odel, 
or Woodhull, of the militia, who was hacked to 
pieces with cutlasses, when alive, by the light 
horsemen, and a captain Fellows, of the conti- 
nental army, who was thrust through with a 
bayonet, of which w^ound he died instantly. Sun- 
dry others were hanged up by the neck till they 
were dead ; five on the limb of a white oak tree, 
and without any reason assigned, except that they 
were fighting in defence of the only blessing worth 
preserving. And indeed those who had the mis- 
fortune to fall into their hands at Fort VV^ashington, 
in the month of November following, met with 
but very litde better usage, except that they were 
reserved from immediate death to famish and die 
with hunger ; in fine, the word rebel, applied to 
any vanquished persons^ without regard to rank, 
who w^ere in the continental service, on the 27th of 



Jtarrative. 79 

August aforesaid, Was thought, by the enemy, suf- 
ficient to sanctify whatever cruelties they were 
pleased to inflict, death itself not excepted ; but 
to pass over particulars which would swell my 
my narrative far beyond my design. 

The private soldiers, who were brought to New 
York, were crowded into churches, and environed 
with slavish Hessian guards, a people of a strange 
language, who were sent to America for no other 
design but cruelty and desolation ; and at others, 
by merciless Britons whose mode of communica- 
ting ideas being intelligible in this country, served 
only to tantalize and insult the helpless and per- 
ishing ; but above all, the hellish delight and tri- 
umph of the tories over them, as they were dyino* 
by hundreds. This was too much for me to bear 
as a spectator ; for I saw the tories exulting over 
the dead bodies of their murdered countrymen. I 
have gone into the churches, and seen sundry of 
the prisoners in the agonies of death, in con- 
sequence of very hunger, and others speechless, 
and very near death, biting pieces of chips ; 
others pleading for God's sake, for something 
to eat, and at the same time, shivering with 
the cold. Hollow groans saluted my ears, and 
despair seemed to be imprinted on every of their 
countenances. The filth in these churches, in 
consequence of the fluxes, was almost beyond de- 



§0 ETHAN Allen's 



scription. The floors were covered with excfe^ 
ments. I have carefully sought to direct my step^ 
so as to avoid it, but could not. They would beg 
for God's sake for one copper, or morsel of bread. 
I have seen in one of these churches seven dead, 
at the same time, lying among the excrements of 
their bodies. 

It was a common practice with the enemy, to 
convey the dead from these filthy places, in carts, 
to be slightly buried, and I have seen whole gangs 
of tories making derision, and exulting over the 
dead, saying, there goes another load of damned 
rebels. I have observed the British soldiers to be 
full of their black -guard jokes, and vaunting on 
those occasions, but they appeared to me less 
malignant than tories. 

The provision dealt out to the prisoners was by 
no means sufficient for the support of life. It was 
deficient in quantity, and much more so in quality. 
The prisoners often presented me with a sample 
of their bread, which I certify was damaged to 
that degree, that it was loathsome and unfit to be 
eaten, and I am bold to aver it, as my opinion, 
that it had been condemned, and was of the very 
worst sort. I have seen and been fed upon dam- 
aged bread, in the course of my captivity^ and 
observed the quahty of such bread as has been 
condemned by the enemy, among which was very 



NARRATIVE. 81 

little so effectually spoiled as what was dealt out 
to these prisoners. Their allowance of meat (as 
they told me) was quite trifling, and of the basest 
sort. I never saw any of it, but was informed, 
that bad as it was, it was swallowed almost as 
quick as they got hold of it. I saw some of them 
sucking bones after they were speechless ; others, 
who could yet speak, and had the use of their 
reason, urged me, in the strongest and most 
pathetic manner, to use my interest in their be- 
half; for you plainly see, said they, that w^e are 
devoted to death and destruction ; and after I had 
examined more particularly into their truly deplo- 
rable condition, and had become more fully 
apprized of the essential facts, I w^as persuaded 
that it was a premeditated and systematical plan 
of the British council, to destroy the youths of 
our land, with a view thereby to deter the coun- 
try, and make it submit to their despotism ; but 
that I could not do them any material service, and 
that, by any public attempt for that purpose, I 
might endanger myself by frequenting places the 
most nauseous and contagious that could be con- 
ceived of. I refrained going into churches, but 
frequently conversed with such of the prisoners 
as were admitted to come out into the yard, and 
found that the systematical usage stiil continued. 
The guard would often drive me away with their 



82 ETHAN Allen's 

fixed bayonets. A Hessian one day followed me 
^ve or six rods, but by making use of my legs, I 
got rid of the lubber. Sometimes I could ob- 
tain a little conversadon, notwithstanding their 
severities. 

I was in one of the church yards, and it was 
rumored among those in the church, and sundry 
of the prisoners came with their usual complaints 
to me, and among the rest a large boned, tall 
young man, as he told me, from Pennsylvania, 
who was reduced to a mere skeleton ; he said he 
was glad to see me before he died, which he ex- 
pected to have done last night, but was a little 
revived ; he furthermore informed me, that he 
and his brother had been urged to enlist into the 
British, but both had resolved to die first ; that his 
brother had died last night, in consequence of 
that resolution, and that he expected shortly to 
follow him ; but I made the other prisoners stand 
a htde off, and told him with a low voice to en- 
list ; he then asked, whether it was right ia the 
sight of God ! I assured him that it wsls, and that 
duty to himself obliged him to deceive the British 
by enhsUng and deserting the first opportunity ; 
upon which he answered with transport that he 
would enlist. I charged him not to mention my 
name as his adviser, lest it should get air, and I 
should be closely confined, in consequence of it. 



The integrity of these suffering prisoners is hardly 
credible. Many hundreds, I am confident, sub- 
mitted to death, rather than to enlist in the British 
service, which, I am informed, they most gener- 
ally were pressed to do. I was astonished at* 
the resolution of the two brothers particularly ; 
it seems that they could not be stimulated to such 
exertions of heroism from ambition, as they were 
but obscure soldiers ; strong indeed must the in- 
ternal principle of virtue be, which supported them 
to brave death, and one of them went through the 
operation, as did many hundred others. I readily 
grant that instances of public virtue are no excite- 
ment to the sordid and vicious, nor, on the other 
hand, will all the barbarity of Britain and Hesh- 
land awaken them to a sense of their duty (o the 
public; but, these things will have their proper 
effect on the generous and brave. The officers 
on parole were most of them zealous, if posiiible, 
to afford the miserable soldiery relief, and often 
consulted with one another on the subject, but to 
no effect, being destitute of the means of subsis- 
tence, which they needed ; nor could the ofiicers 
project any measure, which they thought would 
alter their fate, or so much as be a means of getting 
them out of those filthy places to the privilege of 
fresh air. Some projected that all the officers 
should go in procession to general Howe, and 



84 ETHAN ALLEN^S 

plead the cause of the perishing soldiers ; but this 
proposal was negatived for the following reasons, 
viz : because that general Howe must needs be 
well acquainted, and have a thorough knowledge 
of the state and condition of the prisoners in 
every of their wretched apartments, and that much 
more particular and exact than any officer on pa* 
role could be supposed to have, as the general 
had a return of the circumstances of the prison* 
ers, by his own officers, every morning, of the 
number which were alive, as also the number 
which died every twenty-four hours ; and conse- 
quently the bill of mortality, as collected from 
the daily returns, lay before him with all the 
material situations and circumstances of the pris- 
oners ; and provided the officers should go in 
procession to general Howe, according to the 
projection, it would give him the greatest affi^ont, 
and that he would either retort upon them, that it 
was no part of their parole to instruct him in his 
conduct to prisoners ; that they were mutining 
against his authority, and by affronting him, had 
forfeited their parole ; or that, more probably, 
instead of saying one word to them, would order 
them all into as wretched confinement as the sol- 
diers whom they sought to relieve ; for, at that 
time, the British, from the general to the private 
sentinel, were in full confidence, nor did they so 



NARRATIVE* 85 

much as hesitate, but that they should conquer the 
country. Thus the consultation of the officers 
was confounded and broken to pieces, in con- 
sequence of the dread, which at that time lay on 
their minds, of offending Gen. Howe ; for they 
conceived so murderous a tyrant would not be too 
good to destroy even the officers, on the least pre- 
tence of an affront, as they were equally in his 
power with the soldiers; and, as Gen. Howe per- 
fectly understood the condition of the private 
soldiers, it was argued that it was exactly such 
as he and his council had devised, and as he meant 
to destroy them it would be to no purpose for them 
to try to dissuade him from it, as they Avere help- 
less and liable to the same fate, on giving the least 
affront; indeed anxious apprehensions disturbed 
them in their then circumstances. 

Mean time mortality raged to such an intolera- 
ble degree among the prisoners, that the very 
school boys, in the streets knew the mental design 
of it in some measure; at least, they knew that 
they were starved to death. Some poor women 
contributed to their necessity, till their children were 
almost starved, and all persons of common under- 
standing knew that they w^ere devoted to the cru- 

lest and worst of deaths. It was also proposed 
)y some to make a written representation of the 

condition of the soldiery, and the officers to sign 
8 



86 

it, and that it should be couched in such terms, as 
though they were apprehensive that the General 
was imposed upon by his officers, in their daily 
returns to him of the state and condition of the pris- 
oners ; and that therefore the officers, moved with 
compassion, were constrained to communicate to 
him the facts relative to them, nothing doubting 
but that they would meet with a speedy redress ; 
but this proposal was most generally negatived 
also, and for much the same reason offered in the 
other case ; for it was conjectured that Gen. 
Howe's indignation would be moved against such 
officers as should attempt to whip him over his 
officers' backs ; that he would discern that himself 
was really struck at, and not the officers who 
made the daily returns ; and therefore self-preser- 
vation deterred the officers from either petitioning 
or remonstrating to Gen. Howe, either verbally or 
in writing ; as also the consideration that no valu- 
able purpose to the distressed would be ob- 
tained. 

I made several rough drafts on the subject, one 
of w^hich I exhibited to the colonels Magaw, Miles 
and Adee, and they said that they would consider ■ 
the matter ; soon after I called on them, and some 
of the gentlemen informed me that they had writ- 
ten to the general on the subject, and I concluded 
that the gendemen thought it best that they should 



NARRATIVE. 87 

write without me, as there was such spirited 
aversion subsisting between the British and me. 

In the mean time a colonel Hussecker, of the 
continental army, as he then reported, was taken 
prisoner, and brought to New-York, who gave 
out that the country was almost universally sub- 
mitting to the English king's authority, and that 
there would be litde or no more opposition to 
Great-Britain. This at first gave the officers a 
litde shock, but in a few days they recovered 
themselves ; for this colonel Hussecker, being a 
German, was feasting with general De Heister, 
his countryman, and from his conduct they were 
apprehensive that he was a knave ; at least he 
was esteemed so by most of the officers ; it was 
nevertheless a day of trouble. The enemy blas- 
phemed. Our little army was retreating in New- 
Jersey, and our young men murdered by hun- 
dreds- in New-York. The army of Britain and 
Heshland prevailed for a little season, as though 
it was ordered by Heaven to shew, 'to the latest 
posterity, what the British would have done if 
they could, and what the general calamity must 
have been, in consequence of their conquering the 
country, and to excite every honest man to stand 
forth in the defence of liberty, and to establish 
the independency of the United States of America 
forever. But this scene of adverse fortune did 



88 ETHAN Allen's 

not discourage a Washington. The illustrious 
American hero remained immoveable. In liber- 
ty's cause he took up his sword. This reflection 
was his support and consolation in the day of his 
humiliation, when he retreated before the enemy, 
through New- Jersey into Pennsylvania. Their 
triumph only roused his indignation; and the im- 
portant cause of his country, which lay near his 
heart, moved him to cross the Delaware again, 
and take ample satisfaction on his pursuers. No 
sooner had he circumvallated his haughty foes, 
and appeared in terrible array, but the host of 
Heshland fell. This taught America the intrinsic 
worth of perseverance, and the generous sons of 
freedom flew to the standard of their common 
safeguard and defence ; from which time the arm 
of American liberty hath prevailed.* 

* The American army being greatly reduced by the loss of men 
taken prisoners, and by the departure of men whose inlistments 
had expired,' General Washington was obliged to retreat towards 
Philadelphia ; General Howe, exulting in his successes, pursued 
him, notwithstanding the weather was severely cold. To add to 
the disasters of the Americans, General Lee was surprised and 
taken prioner at Baskenridge. In this gloomy state of affairs, 
many persons joined the British cause and took protection. But 
a small band of heroes checked the tide of British success. A 
division of Hessians had advanced to Trenton, where they reposed 
in Becurity. General Washington was on the opposite side of the 
Delaware, with about three thousand men, many of whom were 
without ehoes or convenient clothing ; and the river was covered 



NARRATIVE. 89 

This surprise and capture of the Hessians 
enraged the enemy, who were still vastly more nu- 
merous than the continental troops. They there- 
fore collected, and marched from PrincetoAvn, to 
attack general Washington, who was then at 
Trenton, having previously left a detachment from 
their main body at Princetown, for the support of 
that place. This was a trying time, for our wor- 
thy general, though in . possession of a late most 
astonishing victory, was by no means able to 
withstand the collective force of the enemy ; but 
his sagacity soon suggested a stratagem to effect 
that which, by force, to him was at that time 
impracticable. He therefore amused the enemy 
with a number of fires, and in the night made a 
forced march, undiscovered by them, and next 
morning fell in wuh their rear-guard at Princetown, 
and killed and took most of them prisoners. The 
main body too late perceived their rear was at- 
tacked, hurried back with all speed, but to their 
mortification, found that they were out-generalled 
and baffled by general Washington, who was 

with floating- ice. But the general knew the importance of striking 
some successful hlow, *to animate tlie expiring- hopes of tlie coun- 
try ; and on the niglit of December 25:h, crossed the river, and 
fell upon the enemy by surprise, and took the whole body consis- 
ting of about nine hundred men. A few were killed, among whom 
was colonel Rahl the commander. 

8* 



90 ETHAN ALLEN^S 

retired with his little army towards MorristoWnV 
and was out of their power.* These repeated 
successes, one on the back of the other, chagrined 
the enemy prodigiously, and had an amazing 
operation in the scale of American politics, and 
undoubtedly was one of the corner stones, on which 
their fair structure of Independency has been 
fabricated, lor the country at no one time has ever 
been so much dispirited as just before the morn- 
ing of this glorious success, which in part dispelled 
the gloomy clouds of oppression and slavery, 
which lay pending over America, big with the 
ruin of this and future generations, and enlightened 

* On the 2d of January, 1777, lord Cornwallis appeared near 
Trenton, with a strong body of troops. Skirmishhig took place 
and impeded the march of the British army, until the Americans 
had secured their artillery and baggage ; when they retired to the 
southward of the creek, and repulsed the enemy in their attempt 
to pass the bridge. As general Washington's force was not suffi- 
cient to meet the enemy, and his situation was critical, he deter- 
mined, with the advice of a council of war, to attempt a stratagem. 
He gave orders for the troops to light fires in their camp, (which were 
intended to deceive the enemy,) and be prepared to march. Accord- 
ingly at twelve o'clock at night the troops left the ground, and by 
a circuitous march, eluded the vigilance of the enemy, and early in 
the morning appeared. at Princeton. A smart action ensued, but 
the British troops gave way. A party took refuge in the college, 
a building with strong stone wallsi but were forced to surrender. 
The enemy lost in killed, wounded and prisoners, about five hun- 
dred men. The Americans lost but few men ; but among them 
was a most valuable officer, general Mercer, • 



KARRATIVE. 91 

and spirited her sons to redouble their blows on a 
merciless, and haughty, and I may add perfidious 
enemy. 

Farthermore, this success had a mighty effect 
on general Howe and his council, and roused 
them to a sense of their own weakness, and con- 
vinced them that they were neither omniscient 
nor omnipotent. Their obduracy and death-de- 
signing malevolence, in some measure, abated 
or was suspended. The prisoners, who were 
condemned to the most wretched and crudest of 
deaths, and who survived to this period, though 
most of them died before, were immediately or- 
dered to be sent within Gen. Washington's lines 
for an exchange, and, in consequence of it, were 
taken out of their filthy and poisonous places of 
confinement, and sent from New-York to their 
friends in haste ; several of them fell dead in the 
streets of New-York, as they attempted to walk 
to the vessels in the harbor, for their intended 
embarkation. What numbers lived to reach the lines 
I cannot ascertain, but, from concurrent represen- 
tations which I have since received from num- 
bers of people who lived in and adjacent to such 
parts of the country, where they were received 
from the enemy, I apprehend that most of them 
died in consequence of the vile usage of the 
enemy. Some who were eve witnesses of that 



92 

scene of mortality, more especially in that part 
which continued after the exchange took place, 
are of opinion, that it was partly in consequence 
ol a slow poison ; but this I refer to the doctors 
that attended them, who are certainly the best 
judges. 

Upon the best calculation I have been able to 
make from personal knowledge, and the many 
evidences I have collected in support of the facts, 
I learn that, of the prisoners taken on Long-Island, 
Fort Washington, and some few others, at differ- 
ent dmes and places, about two thousand perished 
with hunger, cold and sickness, occasioned by the 
filth of their prisons, at New-York, and a number 
more on their passage to the continental lines. 
Most of the residue, who reached their friends, 
having received their death wound, could not be 
restored by the assistance of physicians and 
f:iends; but like their brother prisoners, fell a sac- 
rifice to the relentless and scientific barbarity of 
Britain. I took as much pains as my circumstan- 
ces would admit of, to inform myself not only of 
matters of fact, but likewise of the very design and 
aims of General Howe and his council. The lat- 
ter of wdiich I predicated on the former, and sub- 
mit it to the candid public. 

And lastly, the aforesaid success of the Ameri- 
can arms had a happy effect on the continental 



NARRATIVE. 93 

officers, who were on parole at New-York. A 
number of us assembled, but not in a public man- 
ner, and -with lull bowls and glasses, drank Gen. 
Washington's health, and were not unmindful of 
Congress and our Avorthy friends on the continent, 
and almost forgot that we were prisoners. 

A few days after this recreation, a British officer 
of rank and importance in their army, whose name 
I shall not mention in this " narrative, for certain 
reasons, though I have mentioned it to some of 
my close friends and confidants, sent forme to his 
lodgings, and told me, " That .faithfulness, though 
in a wrong cause, had nevertheless recommended 
me to Gen. Sir William Howe, who was minded 
to make me a colonel ol a regiment of new levies, 
alias tories, in the British service ; and proposed 
that 1 should go with him, and some other officers, 
to England, who w^ould embark for that purpose 
in a few days, and there be "introduced to Lord G. 
Germaine, and probably to the King; and that 
previously I should be clothed equal to such an 
introduction, and, instead of paper rags, be paid in 
hard guineas; after this, should embark with Gen. 
Burgoyne, and assist in the reduction of the coun- 
try, which infalhbly would be conquered, and, 
w'hen that should be done, I should have a large 
tract of land, either in the New-Hampshire grants, 
or in Connecticut, it would make •no odds, as the 



94 ETHAN Allen's 






country would be forfeited to the crown." I then 
replied, "That, if by faithfulness I had recom- 
mended myself to Gen. Howe, I should be loth, by 
unfaithfulness, to lose the General's good opinion ; 
besides, that I viewed the offer of land to be sim- 
ilar to that which the devil offered Jesus Christ, 
"To give him all the kingdoms of the world, if he 
would fall down and worship him ; when at the 
same time, the damned soul had not one foot of 
land upon earth." This closed the conversation, 
and the gentleman turned from me with an air of 
dislike, saying, that I was a bigot; upon which I 
retired to my lodgings. ^^ 

Near the last of November, 1 w^as admitted to 
parole in New^-York, with many other American 
officers, and on the 22d day of January, 1777, 
was with them directed by the British commissary 
of prisoners to be quartered on the westerly part 
of Long-Island, and 6ur parol continued. During 
my imprisonment there, no occcurrences worth 
observation happened. I obtained the means of 
living as well as I desired, which in a great 

* This conduct of Colonel Allen, though springing from duty, 
ought not to be passed over without tributary praise. The refusal 
of such an offer and in such circumstances, was highly m.eritorious. 
Though the man of strict honor, and rigid integrity, deems the 
plaudit of his own conscience an ample reward for his best actions," 
it is a pleasing employment, to those who witness such actions, to 
record them. It is an incentive to others to ' go and do likewise/ 



NARRATIVE. 95 

measure repaired my constitution, which had been 
greatly injured by the severities of an inhuman 
captivity. 1 now began to feel myself composed, 
expecting either an exchange, or continuance in 
good and honorable treatment ; but alas ! my vision* 
ary expectations soon vanished. The news of 
the conquest of Ticonderoga by general Bur- 
goyne,^ and the advance of his army into the 
country, made the haughty Britons again feel their 
importance, and with that, their insatiable thirst 
for cruelty. 

The private prisoners at New-York, and some 
of the oflicers on parole, felt the severity ot it, 
Burgoyne was to them a demi-god. To him 
they paid adoration : in him the tories placed" 

* In June, 1777, the British army, amounting to several thou- 
sand men, besides Indians and Canadians, commanded by general 
Burgoyne, crossed the lake and laid siege to Ticonderoga. In a 
short time, the enemy gained possession of Sugar Hill, Avhich 
commanded the Amierican lines, and general St. Clair, with the 
advice of a council of war, ordered the posts to be abandoned. 
The retreat of the Americans was. conducted under every possible 
disadvantage — part of their force embarked in batteaux and landed 
at Skenesborough— a part marched by the way of Castleton ; but 
they were obliged to leav« their heavy cannon, and on their march, 
lost great part of their baggage and stores, while their rear was 
harrassed by the British troops. An action took place between 
colonel Warner, with a body of Americans, and general Frazer, 
in which the Americans were defeated, after a brave resistance, 
with the loss of a valuable officer, colonel Francis. 



96 ETHAN Allen's 

their confidence, " and forgot the Lord their 
God," and served Howe, Burgoyne and Kny- 
phausen,^ "and became vile in their own imagina- 
tion, and their foohsh hearts were darkened," 
professing to be great pohticians and relying on 
foreign and merciless invaders, and with them 
seeking the ruin, bloodshed and destruction of 
their country; " became fools, " expecting with 
them to share a dividend in the confiscated estates 
of their neighbors and countrymen who fought 
for the whole country, and the religion and liber- 
ties thereof. " Therefore, God gave them over 
to strong delusions, to believe a he, that they 
all might be damned." 

• The 25th day of August, I was apprehended, 
and, under 'pretext of artful, mean and pitiful 
pretences, that I had infringed on my parole, 
taken from a tavern, where there were more than 
a dozen oflicers present and, in the- very place 
where those officers and myself were directed to ■ 
be quartered, put under a strong guard and taken 
to New-York, where I expected to make my 
defence before the commanding officer ; but, con- 
trary to my expectations, and without the least 
solid pretence of justice or a trial, was again en- 
circled with a strong guard ^yith fixed bayonets, 
and conducted to the provost-goal in a lonely 

* Knyphausen, a Hessian general. 



NARRATIVE. 97 

apartment, next above the dungeon, and was 
denied all manner of subsistence either by pur- 
chase or allowance. The second day I offered a 
guinea for a meal of victuals, but was denied it, 
and the third day I offered eight Spanish milled 
dollars for a like favor, but was denied, and all I 
could get out of the sergeant's mouth, was that 
by God he would obey his orders. I now per- 
ceived myself to be again in substantial trouble. 
In this condition I formed an oblique acquaintance 
with a Capt. Travis, of Virginia, who was in the 
dungeon below me, through a little hole which 
was cut with a pen-knife, through the floor of my 
apartment which communicated with the dun- 
geon ; it was a small crevice, through which I could 
discern but a very small part of his face at once, 
when he applied it to the hcle ; but from the dis- 
covery of him in the situation which we were both 
then in, I could not have known him, which 
I found to be true by an after acquaintance. I 
could nevertheless hold a conversation with him, 
and soon perceived him to be a gentleman of high 
spirits, who had a high sense of honor, and felt as 
big, as though he had been in a palace, and had 
treasures of wrath in store against the British. 
In fine I was charmed with the spirit of the man ; 
he had been near or quite four months in that 
dungeon, with murderers, thieves, and every 
9 



98 ETHAN Allen's 

species of criminals, and all for the sole crime of 
unshaken fidelity to his country ; but his spirits 
were above dejection, and his mind unconquerable. 
I engaged to do him every service in my power, 
and in a few weeks afterwards, with the united 
petitions of the officers in the provost, procured 
his dismission from the dark mansion of fiends to 
the apartments of his petitioners. 

And it came to pass on the 3d day, at the going 
down of the sun, that I was presented with a 
piece of boiled pork, and some biscuit, which the 
sergeant gave me to understand, was my allow- 
ance, and I fed sweetly on the same ; but I indul- 
ged my appetite by degrees, and in a few day^ 
more, was taken from that apartment, and con- 
ducted to the next loft or story, where there were 
above twenty continental, and some militia officers, 
who had been taken, and imprisoned there, besides 
some private gendemen, who had been dragged 
from their own homes to that filthy place by tories. 
Several of every denomination mentioned, died 
there, some before, and others after I was put 
there. 

The history of the proceedings relative to the 
provost only, were 1 particular, would swell a 
volume larger than this whole narrative. I shall 
therefore only notice such of the occurrences which 
are mostly extraordinary. 



NARRATIVE. 99 

Capt. Vandyke bore, with an uncommon for- 
titude, near twenty months' confinement in this 
place, and in the mean time was very serviceable 
to others who were confined with him. The al- 
legation against him, as the cause of his confine- 
ment, was very extraordinary. He was accused 
of setting fire <o the city of New-York, at the time 
the west part ot it was consumed, when it was a 
know^n fact, that he had been in the provost a 
week before the fire broke out ; and in like manner, 
fi'ivolous were the ostensible accusations against 
most of those who were there confined ; the case 
of two militia officers excepted, who were taken 
in their attempting to escape from their parole ; 
and probably there may be some other instances 
which might justify such a confinement. ■ 

Mr. William Miller, a committee man, from 
West Chester county, and state of New York^ 
was taken from his bed in the dead of the night 
by his tory neighbors, and was starved for three 
days and nights in an apartment of the same gaol ; 
add to this the denial of fire, and that in a cold 
season of the year, in which time he walked day 
and night, to defend himself against the frost, and 
when he complained of such a reprehensible con- 
duct, (he word rebel or committee man was deem- 
ed by the enemy a sufficient atonement for any 
inhumanity that they could invent or inflict. He 



100 ETHAN Allen's 

was a man of good natural understanding, a close 
and sincere friend to the liberties of x4.merica, and 
endured fourteen months' cruel imprisonment with 
that magnanimity of soul, which reflects honor on 
himself and country. 

Major Levi Wells, and Capt. Ozias Bissel, were 
apprehended and taken under guard from their 
parole on Long-Island, to the provost, on as fal- 
lacious pretences as the former, and were there 
continued till their exchange took place which was 
near five months. Their fidelity and zealous at- 
tachment to their country's cause, which was more 
,than commonly conspicuous was undoubtedly the 
real cause ot their confinement. 

Major Brinton Payne, Capt. Flahaven, and 
Capt. Randolph, who had at different times dis- 
tinguished themselves by their bravery, especially 
^t the several actions, in which they were taken, 
were all the provocation they gave, for which they 
suffered about a year's confinement, each in the 
same filthy gaol. 

A ^ew weeks after my confinement, on the like 
fallacious and wicked pretences, was brought to 
the same place, from his parole on Long- Island, 
Major Otho Holland Williams now a full Col. in 
the continental army. In his character are united 
the gendeman, oflficer, soldier, and friend ; he 
walked through the prison with an air of great dis- 



NARRATIVE. 101 

dain; said he, "Is this the treatment which gen- 
tlemen of the continental army are to expect h'om 
the rascally British, when in their power? Hea- 
vens forbid it!" He was continued tliere about 
five months, and then exchanged for a British Ma- 
jor. 

John Fell, Esq. now^ a member of Congress for 
the state of New-Jersey, was taken from his own 
house by a gang of infamous tories, and by order 
of a British General was sent to the provost, wliere 
he was continued near one year. The stench of 
the gaol, which was very loathsome and unhealthy, 
occasioned a hoarseness of the lungs, which pro- 
ved iatal to many who w^ere there confined, and 
reduced this gentleman near to the poi-nt of death; 
he was indeed given over by his friends who were 
about him, and himself concluded he must die, i 
could not endure the thought that so worthy a 
friend to America should have his life stolen from 
him in such a mean, base, and scandalous manner, 
and that his family and friends should be bereaved 
of so great and desirable a blessing, as his lurther 
care, uselulness and example, might prove to them. 
1 therefore wrote a letter to George l^obertson, 
who commanded in town, and being touched with 
the most sensible leelings of humanitv, which die- 
tated my pen to paint dying distress in such lively 
colors that it wrought conviction even on the ob- 
9* 



102 ETHAN ALLEN^S 

duracy of a British General, and produced his of ' 
der to remove the now honorable John Fell, Esq[. 
out of a gaol, to private lodgings in town ; in con- 
sequence of which he slowly recovered his health. 
There is so extraordinary a circumstance which 
intervened concerning this letter, that it is worth 
noticing. 

Previous to sending it, I exhibited the same to 
the gentleman on whose behalf in was written, for 
his approbation, and he forbid me to Send it in the 
most positive and explicit terms ; his reason was, 
'* That the enemy knew, by every morning's re- 
port, the condition of all the prisoners, mine in 
particular, as I have been gradually coming to my 
end for a considerable time, and they very well 
knew it, and Hkewise determined* it should be ac- 
complished, as they had served many others; that, 
to ask a favor, would give the merciless enemy 
occasion to triumph over me in my last moments, 
and therefore I will ask no favors from them, but 
resign myself to my supposed fate." But the let- 
ter I sent without his knowledge, and 1 confess I 
had but little expectations from it, yet could not 
be easy till I had sent it. It may be worth a re- 
mark, that this gentleman was an Englishman 
born, and from the beginning of the revolution has 
invariably asserted and maintained the cause of 
liberty. 



NARJIATIVE. 1 03 

The British have made so extensive an improve- 
ment of the provost during the present revolution 
till of late, that a very short definition will be suf- 
ficient for the dullest apprehensions. It may be 
with propriety called the British inquisition, and 
calculated to support their oppressive measures 
and designs, by suppressing the spirit of liberty; 
as also a place to confine the criminals, and most 
infamous wretches of their own army, where 
many gentlemen of the American army, and citi- 
zens thereof, were promiscuously confined, with 
every species of criminals ; but they divided into 
diff'erent apartments, and kept at as great a re- 
move as circumstances permited ; but it was nev- 
ertheless at the option of a villainous sergeant, whd 
had the charge of the provost, to take any gentle- 
man from their room, and put them into the dun- 
geon, which was often the case. At two different 
times I was taken down stairs for that purpose,- 
by a file of soldiers with fixed bayonets, and the 
sergeant brandishing his sword at the same time, 
and having been brought to the door of the dun- 
geon, 1 there flattered the vanity of the sergeant, 
whose name was Keef. by which means I procured 
the surprizing favor to return to my companions; 
but some of the high mettled young gentlemen 
could not bear his insolence, and determined to 
keep at a distance, and neilherplease nor displease 



104 ETHAN ALLEN'^S 

the villain, but none could keep clear of his abuse ; 
however, mild measures v^ere the best ; he did 
not hesitate to call us damned rebels, and use us 
with the coarsest language. The Capts. Flaha- 
ven, Randolph and Mercer, were the objects of 
his most flagrant and repeated abuses, who were 
many times taken to the dungeon, and there con- 
tinued at his pleasure. Capt. Flahaven took cold 
in the dungeon, and was in a declining state of 
health, but an exchange delivered him, and in all 
probability saved his life. It was very mortifying 
to bear with the insolence of such a vicious and 
ill-bred, imperious rascal. Remonstrances against 
him were preferred to the commander of the town, 
but no relief could be obtained, for his superiors 
were undoubtedly w^ell pleased with his abusive 
conduct to the gentlemen, under the severities of 
his power; and remonstrating against his infernal 
conduct, only served to contirm him in authority ; 
and for this reason I never made any remonstran- 
ces on the subject, but only stroked him, for I 
knew that he w^as but a cat's paw in the hands of 
the British officers, and that, if he should use us well, 
he would immediately be put out of that trust, and 
a worse man appointed to succeed him ; but there 
was no need of making any new appointment ; for 
Cunningham, their provost marshall, and Kee^, his 
deputy, were as great rascals as their army could 



NARRATIVE. 105 

boast of, except one Joshua Loring, an infamous 
torj, who was commissary of prisoners ; nor can 
any of these be supposed to be equally criminal 
with Gen. Sir William Howe and his associates, 
who prescribed and directed the murders and cru- 
elties, whch were by them perpetrated. This 
Loring is a monster ! — There is not his like in 
human shape. He exhibits a smiling counte- 
nance, seems to wear a phiz of humanity, but has 
been instrumentally capable of the most consumate 
acts of wickedness, which were first projected by an 
abandoned British council clothed with the authori- 
ty of a Howe, murdering premeditatedly, in cold 
blood, near or quite two thousand helpless prisoners 
and that in the most clandestine, mean and shame- 
full manner, at New-York. He is the most mean 
spirited, cowardly, deceitful, and destructive ani- 
mal in God's creation below, and legions of infer- 
nal devils, with all their tremendous horrors, are 
impatiently ready to receive Howe and him, with 
all their detestable accomphces, into the most ex- 
quisite agonies of the hottest region of hell fire.* 
The e'th day of July, 1777, Gen. St. Clair, and 



*The publisher would suppress some of the language and ex- 
pressions Col. Allen occasionally makes use of, but presuming the 
reader to make all reasonable allowance, both for the style and the 
matter, it was thought most eligible to give the narrative in the 
very dress furnished by the author. 



106 ETHAN Allen's 

the army under his command, evacuated Ticon- 
deroga, and retreated with the main body through 
Hubbarton into Castleton, which was but six miles 
distant, when his rear-guard, commanded by Col. 
Seth Warner, was attacked at Hubbarton by a 
body of the enemy of about two thousand, com- 
manded by General Fraser. Warner's command 
consisted of his own and tw^o other regiments, viz. 
Francis's and Hale's, and some scattering and en- 
feebled soldiers. His whole number, according 
to information, was near or quite one thousand ; 
part of which were Green Mountain Boys, about 
seven hundred out of the whole he brought into 
action. The enemy advanced boldly, and the two 
bodies formed within about sixty yards of each 
other. Col. Warner having formed his ow*n re- 
giment, and that of Col. Francis's did not wait for 
the enemy, but gave them a heavy fire from his 
whole line, and they returned it with great brave- 
ry. It was by this time dangerous for those 
of both parties, who were not prepared for the 
world to come; but Colonel Hale being apprised 
of the danger, never brought his regiment to the 
charge, but left Warner and Francis to stand the 
blowing of it, and fled, but luckily fell in with an 
inconsiderable number of the enemy, and to his 
eternal shame, surrendered himself a prisoner. 
The conflict was very bloody. Col. Francis 



I^ARRATIVE. 1^07 

ell in the same, but Col. Warner, and the officers 
inder his command, as also the soldiery, behaved 
vith great resolution. The enemy broke, and 
^ave way on the right and left, but formed again, 
ind renewed the attack ; in the mean time the 
British granadiers, in the center of the enemy's 
ine, maintained th^ ground, and finally carried it 
vith the point of the bayonet, and Warner retreat- 
id with reluctance. Our loss w^as about thirty • 
nen killed, and that of the enemy amounting to 
hree hundred killed, including a Major Grant. 
The enemy's loss I learnt from the confession of 
heir own officers, when a prisoner with them. I 
leard them likewise complain, that the Green 
;^ountain Boys took sight. The next movement 
f the enemy, of any material consequence, was 
heir investing Bennington,"^ with a design to de- 
nolish it, and subject its Mountaineers, to which 
hey had a great aversion, with one hundred and 

* The Americans had collected a quantity of stores at Bennington ; 
destroy which as well as to animate the royalists and intimidate 
be patriot.*, general Burgoyne detached colonel Baum, with five 
undred men and one hundred Indians. Colonel Breyman was 
ent to reinforce him, but did not arrive in time. On the 16th of 
August, general Stark, with about eight hundred brave militia men, 
ttacked colonel Baum, in his entrenched camp about six miles from 
Bennington, and killed or took prisoners nearly the whole detach- 
lent. The next day colonel Breyman was attacked and defeated, 
n these actions, the Americans took about seven hundred prison- 



* 



108 ETHAN Allen's 

fifty chosen men, including tories, with the high* 
est expectation of success, and having chosen an 
eminence of strong ground, fortified it with slight 
breast works, and two pieces of cannon ; but the 
government of the young state of Vermont, being 
previt)usly jealous of such an attempt of the ene- 
my, and in due time had procured a number of 
brave militia from the government of the state of 
•New-Hampshire, who, together with the militia of 
the north part of Berkshire county, and state of 
Massachusetts, and the Green Mountain Boys, 
constituted a body of desperadoes, under the 
command of the intrepid general Stark, who in 
number were about equal to the enemy. Colonel 
Herrick, who commanded the Green Mountain 
Rangers, and v/ho was second in command, being 
thoroughly acquainted with the ground where 
the enemy had fortified, proposed to attack them 
in their works upon all parts, at the same time. 
This plan being adopted by the general and his 
council of war, the litde militia brigade of undis- 
ciplined heroes, with their long brown firelocks, 
the best security of a free people, without either I 

ers, and these successes served to revive the spirits of the people. 
This success however was in part counterbalanced by the advan- 
tages gained on the Mohawk by colone*! St. Leger : but this officer, 
attacking fort Stanwix, was repelled, and obliged to abandon the 
attempt. 



NAKKAflVTE. 109 

cannon or bayonets, was, on the 16th clay oi' 
August, led on to the attack by their bold com- 
manders, in the face of the enemy's dreadful fire, 
and to the astonishment of the world, and bur- 
lesque of discipHne, carried every part of their 
lines in less than one quarter of an hour after the 
attack became general, took their cannon, killed 
and captivated more than two-thirds of their num- 
ber, which immortalized general Stark, and made 
Bennington famous to posterity. 

Among the enemy's slain was found colonel 
Baum, their commander, a colonel Pfester, who 
headed an infamous gang of tories, and a large 
part of his command ; and among the prisoners was 
major Meibome, their second in command, a num- 
ber of British and Hessian officers, surgeons, &c. 
and more than one hundred of the aforemen- 
tioned Pfester's command. The prisoners being 
collected together, were sent to the meeting- 
house in the town, by a strong guard, and Gen. 
Stark not imagining any present danger, the 
pnilitia scattered from him to rest and refresh them- 
selves ; in this situation he was on a sudden at- 
tacked by a reinforcement of one thousand and 
me hundred of the enemy, commanded by a 
governor Skene, with two field pieces. They 
idvanced in regular order, and kept up an inces- 
sant fire, especially from their field pieces, and the 
10 • 



110 ETHAN Allen's 

remaining militia retreating slowly before them, dis- 
puted the ground inch by inch. The enemy were 
heard to halloo to them, saying, stop Yankees ! In 
the meantime, Col. Warner, with about one hun- 
dred and thirty men of his regiment, who were not in 
the first action, arrived and attacked the enemy 
with great fury, being determined to have ample 
revenge on account of the quarrel at Hubbardton? 
which brought them to a stand, and soon after 
general Stark and colonel Herrick, brought on 
more of the scattered militia, and the action became 
general ; in a few minutes the enemy were forced 
from their cannon, gave way on all parts and fled, 
and the shouts of victory were a second time pro- 
claimed in favor oi the mihtia. The enemy's loss 
in killed and prisoners, in these two actions, 
amounted to more than one thousand and two 
hundred men, and our loss did not exceed fifty 
men. This was a bitter stroke to the enemy, but 
their pride would not permit them to hesitate but 
that they could vanquish the country, and as a 
specimen of their arrogancy, I shall insert general 
Burgoyne's proclamation : — 

^' By John Burgoyne, Esq. Lieutenant-General of his 
Majesty's armies in America, Colonel of the Queen's re- 
giment of light dragoons, Governor of Fort William in 
North-Britain, one of the Representatives of the Com- 
mons of Great Britain, in Padiament, and commanding 



NARRATIVE. Hi 

an army and fleet employed on an expedition from Can- 
ada, &c. &c. Slc. 

" The forces entrusted to my command are designed 
to act in concert and upon a common principle, with 
the numerous armies and fleets which aheady display in 
every quarter of America, the power, the jiistice, and, 
when properly sought, the mercy of the King. 

" The cause, in which the British arms are thus ex- 
erted, applies to the most affecting interests of the hu- 
man heart; and the mihtary servants of the crown, at 
first called forth for the sole purpose of restoring the 
rights of the constitution, now combine with love of 
their country, and duty to their sovereign, the other ex- 
tensive incitements which spring from a due sense of 
the general privileges of mankind. To the eyes and 
ears of the temperate part of the public, and to the 
breasts of suffering thousands in the provinces, be the 
melancholy appeal, whether the present unnatural rebel- 
lion has not been made a foundation for the completes! 
system of tyranny that ever God, in his displeasure, suf- 
fered for a time to be exercised over a froward and stub- 
born generation. 

" Arbitrary imprisonment, confiscation of property, 
persecution and torture, unprecedented in tlie inquisi- 
tions of ihe Romish Church, are among the palpable 
enormities that verify the affirmative. These are inflic- 
ted by assemblies and committees, who dare to profess 
themselves friends to liberty, upon the most quiet sub- 
jects, without distinction of age or sex, for the sole 
crime, often for the sole suspicion, of having adhered in 
principle to the government under which they were born, 
and to which, by every lie, divine and human, they owe 
allegiance. To consummate these shocking proceedings, 
the profanation of religion is added to the most profligate 
prostitution of common reason ; the consciences of nnen 
are set at nought ; and multitudes are compelled not 



113 ETHAN ALLEN^S 

only to bear arms, but also to swear subjection to an 
usurpation they abhor. 

" Animated by these considerations, at the head oi 
troops in the full powers of health, discipline, and valor; 
determined to strike where necessary, and anxious to 
spare where possible, I by these presents invite and ex-J 
hort all persons, in all places where the progress of this 
army may point; and by the blessing of God I will ex- 
tend it far to maintain such a conduct as may justify met 
in protecting their lands, habitations and families. Thee 
intention of this address is to hold forth security, noti 
depredation to the country. To those whom spirit audi 
principle may induce to partake of the glorious task oi 
redeeming their countrymen from dungeons, and re-es^ 
tablishing the blessings of legal government, I offer en- 
couragement and employment j and upon the first intel4 
ligence of their associations, 1 will find means to assist 
their undertakings. The domestic, the industrious, the 
infirm, and even the timid inhabitants I am desirous tO( 
protect, provided they remain quietly at their houses ; 
that they do not sufter their cattle to be removed, nori 
their corn or forage to be secreted or destroyed ; that 
they do not break up their bridges or roads : nor by anj 
other act, directly or indirectly, endeavour to obstruct 
the operations of the king's troops, or supply or assist 
those of the enemy. Every species of provision brought 
to my camp, will be paid for at an equitable rate, ano 
in solid coin. 

•' In consciousness of Christianity, my royal master'j 
clemancy, and the honor of soldiership, I have dwelt 
upon this invitation, and wished for more persuasive 
terms to give it impression. And let not people be lee 
to disregard it by considering their distance from the imi 
mediate situation of my camp. — I have but to give 
stretch to the Indian forces under my direction, and the}; 
amount tO; thousands, to overtake the hardened enemies 



IVARRATIVE. 113 

of Great Britain and America : I consider them the same 
wherever they may lurk. 

<' If, notwit!, standing these endenvours, and sincere 
inclinations to etl'ect them, tlie plirensy of liosiihty shoidd 
remain, I trust I shall stand acqniiteci in the eyes of G<!d 
and man, in denouncing and executing ihe vengennce 
of the state against the vvilfu! outcasts. The messen- 
gers of justice and of wrath await tlu;m in the field ; and 
devastation, famine, and every concomiiant horror that 
a reluctant but indispensible prosecution of military 
duty must occasion, will bear the way to their return. 

J. BURGOYNE. 

" By order of his Excellency the Lieut. General, 

R(^BEKT Kingston, Sec. 
"Camp near Ticonderoga, 4tli July, 1777." 

Gen. Burgoyne was still the toast, and the se- 
verities towards the prisoners were in great mea- 
sure increased or diminished, in proportion to the 
expectation of conquest. His very ostentatious 
Proclamation was in the hand and mouth of most 
of the soldiery, especially the tories, and from it, 
their faith was raised to assurance. I wish my 
countrymen in general could but have an idea of 
the assuming tyranny, and haughty, malevolent, 
and insolent behavior of the enemy at that time ; 
and from thence discern the intolerable calamities 
which this country have extricated themselves 
from by their public spiritedness and bravery, 'i he 

10* 



114 

downfall of Gen. Burgoyne,* and surrender of life 
whole army, dashed the aspiring hopes and ex- 
pectations of the enemy, and brought low the im- 
perious spirit of an opulent, puissant and haughty 
nation, aiKi made the tories bite the ground with 
anguish, exalting the valor of the free-born sons 
of America, and raised their fame and that of their 
brave commanders to the clouds, and immortaliz- 
ed Gen. Gates with laurels of eternal duration. 
No sooner had the knowledge of this interesting 
and mighty event reached His Most Christian Ma- 
jesty, who in Europe shines with a superior lustre 
in goodness, policy and arms, but the illustrious 
potentate, auspiciously influenced by Heaven tO' 

* General Burgoyne, after collecting his forces and stores, cross- 
ed the Hiwlsoii with a view to penetrateto Albany. But the Amer- 
ican army being reinforced daily^ held him in check at Saratoga. 
General Gates now took the command, and was aided by the gen- 
erals Lincoln and Arnold. On the 19th of September, the Amer- 
icans attacked the British army, and with such bravery, that the 
enemy could boast of no advantage, and night put an end to the 
action. The loss of the enemy was about five hundred. General 
Burgoyne was confined in a narrow pass — having the Hudson on 
on one sidfe and impassible woods on the other — a body of Ameri- 
cans was in his rear— his boats he had ordered to be burnt, and he 
could not i^treat — while an army of thirteen thousand men oppos-- 
'2d him in front. On the 7th of October^ the armies came to a sec- 
ond action, in which the British lost General Frazer, with a great 
number of officers and men, and were driven within their lines. 
On the part of the Americans the loss was n©t greaty.but generals^ 
Lincoln and. Arnoldv were wounded.. 



]VARRATIV£. 115 

promote the reciprocal interest and happiness of 
the ancient kingdom of France, and the new and 
rising states of America, passed the great and de- 
cisive decree, that the United States of America, 
should be free and independent. Vaunt no more, 
Old England ! consider you are but an island ! 
and that your power has been continued longer 
than the exercise of your humanity. Order your 
broken and vanquished battalions to retire from 
America, the scene of your cruelties. Go home 
and repent in dust and sackcloth for your aggra^ 
vated crimes. The cries of bereaved parents, 
widows and orphans, reach the heavens, and you 
are abominated by every friend to America. Take 
your friends the tories with you, and be gone, and 
drink deep of the cup of humiliation. Make peace 
with the princes of the house of Bourbon, for you 
are in no condition to wage war with them. Your 
veteran soldiers are fallen in America, and your 
glory is departed. Be quiet and pay your debts, 
especially for the hire of the Hessians. There is 
no other way for you to get into credit again, but 
by reformation and plain honesty, which you have 
despised ; for your power is by no means suffi- 
cient to support your vanity. I have had oppor- 
tunity to see a great deal of it, and felt its severe 
effects, and learned lessons of wisdom and policy^ 
when I wore your heavy irons, and bore your bit' 



116 

ter revilings and reproaches. I have something 
of a smattering of philosophy, and understand hu- 
man nature in all its stages tolerably well ; am 
thoroughly acquainted with your national crimes, 
and assure you that they not only cry aloud for 
Heaven's vengeance, but excite mankind to rise 
up against you. Virtue, wisdom and policy are 
in a national sense, always connected with power, 
or in other words, power is their offspring, and 
such power as is not directed by virtue, wisdom 
and policy never fails finally to destroy itself as 
yours has done. — It is so in the nature of things, 
and unfit that it would be otherwise ; for if it was 
not so, vanity, injustice, and oppression, might 
reign triumphant forever. I know you have indi- 
viduals, who still retain their virtue, and conse- 
quently their honor and humanity. Those I real- 
ly pity, as they must more or less suffer in the 
calamity, in which the nation is plunged headlong ; 
but as a nation I hate and despise you. 

My affections are Frenchified. I glory in Louis 
the sixteenth, the generous and powerful ally of 
these states ; am fond of a connection with so en- 
terprising, learned, poUte, courteous and com- 
mercial a nation, and am sure that I express the 
sentiments and feelings of all the friends to the 
present revolution. I begin to learn the French 
tongue, and recommend it to my countrymen,, 



NARRATIVE. 117 

before Hebrew, Greek or Latin, (provideJ but one 
of them only are to be attended to) for the trade 
and commerce of these states in future must inev 
itablj shift its channel from England to France, 
Spain and Portugal ; and therefore the statesman, 
politician and merchant, need be acquainted with 
their several languages, particularly the French, 
which is much in vogue in most parts of Europe. 
Nothing could have served so effectually to illumin- 
ate, polish and enrich these states as the present rev- 
olution, as well as preserve their liberty. Man- 
kind are naturally too national, even to a degree 
of bigotry, and commercial intercourse with foreign 
nations, has a great and necessary tendency to 
improve mankind, and erase the superstition oi 
the mind by acquainting them that human nature, 
policy and interest, are the same in all nations, 
and at the same time they are bartering commodi- 
ties for the conveniences and happiness of each 
nation, they may reciprocally exchange such part 
of their customs and manners as may be benefi- 
cial, and learn to extend charity and good will to 
the whole world of mankind. I was confined in 
the provost-goal at New-York, the 26th day of 
August, and continued there to the 3d day of 
May, 1778, when I was taken out under guard, 
and conducted to a sloop in the harbor at New- 
York, in which 1 was guarded to Staten-Island,. 



118 



to general Campbell's quarters, where I was ad- 
mitted to eat and drink with the general and 
several other of the British field officers, and 
treated for two days in a polite manner. As I 
was drinking wine with them one evening, I made 
an observation on my transition from the provost 
criminals to the company of gentlemen, adding that 
I was the same man still, and should give the 
British credit, by him (speaking to the general) for 
two days good usage. 

The next day colonel Archibald Campbell, who 
was exchanged for me, came to this place, con- 
ducted by Mr. Boudinot, the then American 
commissary of .prisoners, and saluted me in a 
handsome manner, saying that he never was more 
glad to see any gendeman in his life, and I gave 
him to understand that I was equally glad to see 
him, and was apprehensive that it was from the 
same motive. The gentlemen present laughed 
at the fancy, and conjectured that sweet liberty 
was the foundation of our gladness : so we took 
a glass of wine together, and then I was accom- 
panied by general Campbell, colonel Campbell, 
Mr. Boudinot and a number of British officers, to 
the boat which was ready to sail to Elizabeth- 
town-point. Meanwhile I entertained them with 
a rehearsal of the cruelties exercised towards our 
prisoners ; and assured them that I should use my 



NARRATIVE. 119 

influence, that their prisoners should be treated, in 
future, in the same manner, as they should in future 
treat ours ; that I thought it was right in such ex* 
treme cases,that their example should be applied to 
their own prisoners ; then exchanged the decent 
ceremonies of compliment, and parted. I sailed 
to the point aforesaid, and, in a transport of joy, 
landed on libery ground, and as 1 advanced into 
the county, received the acclamations of a grate- 
ful people. 

I soon fell into company with colonel Shelden, 
of the light horse, who in a pohte and obliging 
manner accompanied me to head quarters. Valley 
Forge, where I was courteously received by Gen. 
Washington, with pecuHar marks of his approba- 
tion and esteem, and was introduced to most of 
the generals, and many of the principal officers 
of the army, who treated me with respect, and 
after having offered general Washington my fur- 
ther service in behalf of my country, as soon as 
my health, which was very much impaired, would 
admit, and obtain his licence to return home, I 
took my leave of his excellency, and set out from 
Valley Forge with general Gates and his suit for 
Fishkill, where we arrived the latter end of May. 
In this tour the general was pleased to treat me 
with the familiarity of a companion, and gener- 
ositv of a lord, and to him I made known some 



1^0 ETHAN ALLEN^S NARRATIVE. 

striking circumstances which occurred in the 
course of my captivity. I then bid farewell to my 
noble general and the gentlemen of his retinue, 
and set out for Bennington, the capital of the 
Green Mountain Boys, where I arrived the evening 
of the last day of May to their great surprise ; for 
I was thought to be dead, and now both their joy 
and mine was complete. Three cannon were 
fired that evening, and next morning colonel Her- 
rick gave orders, and fourteen more were dis- 
charged, welcoming me to Bennington, my usual 
place of abode ; thirteen for the United States, 
and one for Young Vermont. 

After this ceremony was ended we moved the 
flowing bowl, and rural felicity, sweetened with 
friendship, glowed in each countenance, and with 
loyal healths to the rising States of America, con- 
cluded that evening, and, with the same loyal 
spirit, I now conclude my narrative. 



31^77-5 



i 



